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PLAIN  FACTS 


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1 


PLAIN  FACTS 


FO 


§LD  AND 


BY 

J.  K.  KELLOGG,  M.  D., 

MEJtBER  AXEKICAiJ  PUBLIC  HEALTH  ASSOCIATION,  AMERICAN  SOCIETY 
POB  THE  ADVANCEMENT  OP  SCIENCE,  AMERICAN  SOCIETY  OP  MI- 
CROSCOPY, MEMBER  MICH.  STATE  BOARD  OF  HEALTH,  MEDICAL 
SUPERINTENDENT  OF  THE  BATTLE  CREEK  SANITARIUM, 

AUTHOR  OP  NUMEROUS  WORKS  ON  HEALTH,  ETC. 

e 

36  


PUBLISHED  BY  # 

I.  :e'. 

BURLINGTON,  IOWA. 

1884. 


DUNG, 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  In  the  year  1879,  by 

J.  H.  KELLOGG,  M.  D.. 

In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington,  D.  C. 


ALL  RIGHTS  RESERVED. 


p 


PREFACE. 


The  publishers  of  this  work  offer  no  apology  for 
presenting  it  to  the  reading  pubhc,  since  the  wide 
prevalence  of  the  evils  which  it  exposes  is  sufficient 
wan-ant  for  its  publication.  The  subj  ects  with  which 
it  deals  are  of  vital  consequence  to  the  human  race  ; 
and  it  is  of  the  utmost  importance  that  every  effort 
should  be  made  to  dispel  the  gross  ignorance  which 
almost  universally  prevails,  by  the  wide  diffusion,  in 
a proper  manner,  of  information  of  the  character  con- 
tained in  this  volume. 

This  book  has  been  written  not  for  the  young  only, 
nor  for  any  single  class  of  persons,  but  for  all  who 
aie  old  enough  to  be  capable  of  understanding  and 
appreciatmg  it.  The  prime  object  of  its  preparation 
has  been  to  call  attention  to  the  great  prevalence  of 
sexual  excesses  of  all  Idnds,  and  the  heinous  crimes 
resulting  from  some  forms  of  sexual  transgression, 
and  to  point  out  the  terrible  results  which  inevitably 
follow  the  violation  of  sexual  law. 


vi  PREFACE. 

In  order  to  make  more  clear  and  comprehensible 
the  teachings  of  nature  respecting  the  laws  regulat- 
ing the  sexual  function,  and  the  evils  resulting  from 
their  violation,  it  has  seemed  necessary  to  preface  the 
practical  part  of  the  subject  by  a concise  description 
of  the  anatomy  of  reproduction.  In  this  portion  of  ■ 
the  work  especial  pains  has  been  taken  to  avoid  any- 
thing like  indelicacy  of  expression,  yet  it  has  not  been 
deemed  advisable  to  sacrifice  perspicuit}’^  of  ideas  to 
any  prudish  notions  of  modesty.  It  is  hoped  that 
the  reader  "will  bear  in  mind  that  the  language  of 
science  is  always  chaste  in  itself,  and  that  it  is  only 
tlwough  a corrupt  imagination  that  it  becomes  invest- 
ed with  impurity.  The  author  has  constantly  en- 
deavored to  impart  information  in  the  most  straight- 
forward, simple,  and  concise  manner. 

Tlie  work  should  be  judiciously  circulated,  and  to 
secure  this  the  publishers  will  take  care  to  place  it  in 
the  hands  of  agents  competent  to  introduce  it  with 
discretion  ; yet  it  may  be  read  without  injury  by 
any  one  who  is  sufficiently  mature  to  undei-stand  it. 

Great  care  has  been  taken  to  exclude  from  its  pages 
those  accounts  of  the  habits  of  vicious  persons,  and 
descriptions  of  the  mechanical  accessories  of  \ice, 
with  w hich  many  works  upon  sexual  subjects  abound. 

PREFACE. 


Vll 


The  first  editions  of  tlie  work  were  issued  with  no 
httle  anxiety  on  the  part  of  both  author  and  pub- 
lishers as  to  how  it  would  be  received  by  the  reading 
public.  It  was  anticipated  that  no  little  adverse  crit- 
icism, and  perhaps  severe  condemnation,  would  be 
pronounced  by  many  whose  education  and  general 
mode  of  thought  had  been  such  as  to  unfit  them  to 
appreciate  it ; but  it  was  hoped  that  persons  of  more 
thoughtful  and  unbiased  minds  would  receive  the 
work  kindly,  and  would  readily  co-operate  with  the 
publishers  in  its  circulation.  This  anticipation  has 
been  more  than  realized.  Wherever  the  book  has 
been  introduced,  it  has  met  with  a warm  reception  ; 
and  of  the  several  thousand  persons  into  whose  hands 
the  work  has  been  placed,  hundrexls  have  gratefully 
acknowledged  the  benefit  which  they  have  received 
from  its  perusal,  and  it  is  hoped  that  a large  propor- 
tion have  been  greatly  benefited. 

The  cordial  reception  which  the  work  has  met 
from  the  press  everywhere  has  undoubtedly  contrib- 
uted in  great  measure  to  its  popularity.  The  demand 
for  the  work  has  exhausted  several  editions  in  rapid 
succession,  and  has  seemed  to  require  its  preparation 
in  the  greatly  enlarged  and  in  every  way  improved 
form  in  which  it  now  appears.  The  addition  of  two 


VUl 


PREFA  CE. 


whole  chapters  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  the  sub- 
ject directly  before  the  minds  of  boys  and  girls  in  a 
proper  manner,  adds  greatly  to  the  interest  and  value 
of  the  work,  as  there  seemed  to  be  a slight  deficiency 
in  this  particular  m the  former  editions. 

J.  H.  K. 

Battle  Creek,  Mien., 

October,  iS'jg. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE. 

INTRODUCTION, 1& 

SEX  IN  LIVING  FORMS. 

Living  beings — Animals  and  vegetables — Life  force 
— Reproduction — Spontaneous  generation — Sim- 
plest form  of  generation — Hermapbrodism — Sex 
in  plants — Sex  in  animals — Other  sexual  differen- 
ces— Men  and  women  differ  in  form — Modern  ma- 
•» 

nia  for  female  pedestrianism — 3,000  quarter  miles 
in  3,000  quarter  hours — A female  walking-match 
— The  male  and  female  brain — Vital  organs  of  man 
and  woman — Woman  less  muscular,  more  endur- 
ing— A pathological  difference — Why  a woman 
does  not  breathe  like  a man — The  reproductive  el- 
ements— Sexual  organs  of  plants — Polygamous 
flowers — The  female  organ  of  flowers — Sexual 
organs  of  animals — The  spermatozoon — The  ovum 
— Fecundation — Fecundation  in  flowers — Union 
of  the  ovum  and  zoosperm — Curious  modes  of  re- 
production—Human  beings  are  developed  buds 
— Fecundation  in  hermaphrodites — Development 
— Unprotected  development — Partial  protection 

ix 


CONTENTS. 


PAGB. 

of  the  ovum — Development  in  the  higher  animals 
and  in  man — The  uterus — Uterine  gestation — 

The  primitive  ti-ace — Curious  relations  to  lower 
animals — Simplicity  of  early  structures — The 
stages  of  growth — Duration  of  gestation — Uterine  j 

life — How  the  unborn  infant  breathes — Parturi-  | 

tion — Changes  in  the  child  at  birth — Nursing — 

Anatomy  of  the  reproductive  organs — Male  or-  j 

gans — The  prostate  gland — Female  organs — Pu-  j 

berty — Influence  of  diet  on  puberty — Bnmettes  , 

naturally  precocious — Remarkable  precocity — i 

Premature  development  occasions  early  decay — 

Early  puberty  a cause  for  anxiety — Changes 
which  occur  at  puberty — Menstruation — Nature 
of  menstruation — A critical  period — Important 
hints — Menorrhagia — Dysmenorrhoea — Amenor- 
rhcea  and  chlorosis — Hysteria — Prevention  better 
than  cure — Extra-uterine  pregnancy — Twins — 
jMonsters — Hybrids — Law  of  sex — Heredity — 

Ante-natal  influences — Law  universal — A source 
of  crime — Circumcision — Castration 25 

THE  SEXUAL  RELATIONS. 

Sexual  precocity — Astonishing  ignorance — Inherited 
passion — Various  causes  of  sexual  precocity — 

Senile  sexuality — Marriage — Time  to  marry — 

Application  of  the  law  of  heredity — Early  mar- 


L 


CONTENTS.  xi 

PAGE- 

riage — Mutual  adaptation — Disparity  of  age — 
Courtship  — Long  Courtships  — Flirtation  — 
Youthful  flirtations-Associations-Polyandry  — 
Divorce — Who  may  not  marry — Do  not  be  in  a 
hurry . 116 

CHASTITY. 

Idental  unchastity — Amativeness — Unchaste  conver- 
sation— Causes  of  unchastity — Early  causes — 

Diet  vs.  chastity — Clerical  lapses — Tobacco  and 
vice — Bad  books — Idleness — Dress  and  sensual- 
ity— How  young  women  fall — Fashion  and  vice 
— Reform  in  dress  needed — Round  dances — 
Physical  causes  of  unchastity — Constipation — 
Intestinal  worms — Local  uncleanness — Irritation 
of  the  bladder — Modern  modes  of  life 174 

CONTINENCE. 

Continence  not  injurious — Does  not  produce  impotence 
- — Difi&culty  of  continence — Helps  to  continence 
— The  will — Diet — Exercise — Bathing — Relig- 
ion   205 

MARITAL  EXCESSES. 

Object  of  the  reproductive  functions — Results  of  ex- 
cesses— Effects  upon  husbands — Testimony  of  a 
French  physician — Continence  of  trainers — A 
cause  of  throat  disease — A cause  of  consumption 


CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

— Effects  on  wives — The  greatest  cause  of  uterine 
disease — Legalized  murder — Indulgence  during 
menstruation — Effects  upon  offspring  — Indul- 
gence during  pregnancy — Effect  upon  the  char- 
acter— A selfish  objection — Brutes  and  savages 
more  considerate — What  may  be  done — Early 
moderation 216 

PREVENTION  OF  CONCEPTION: 

ITS  EVILS  AND  DANGERS. 

Conjugal  onanism — “ Male  continence” — Shaker  views 
— Moral  bearings  of  the  question — Unconsidered 
murders — The  charge  disputed — Difiiculties — 
Woman’s  rights— What  to  do — A compromise  250 

INFANTICIDE  AND  ABORTION, 

Not  a modern  crime — Causes  of  the  crime — The  nat- 
ure of  the  crime — Instruments  of  crime  — Ke- 
sults  of  this  unnatural  crime — An  unwelcome 
child — The  remedy — Murder  by  proxy 271 

THE  SOCIAL  EVIL. 

Unchastity  of  the  ancients — Causes  of  the  “ social 
evil  ” — Libidinous  blood — Gluttony — Precocious 
sexuality — Man’s  lewdness — Fashion — Lack  of 
early  training — Sentimental  literature — Poverty — 
Ignorance — Disease — Eesults  of  licentiousness — 
Thousands  of  victims — Effects  of  vice  ineradica- 


CONTENTS.  xiii 

PAGE. 

ble — The  only  hope — Hereditary  effects  of  vene- 
real disease — Man  the  only  transgressor — Origin 
of  the  foul  disease — Cure  of  the  “ social  evil  ” — 
Prevention  the  only  cure— Early  training — Teach 
self-control — Mental  culture — Early  associations  284 

SOLITARY  VICE. 

Alarming  prevalence  of  the  vice — Testimony  of  emi- 
nent authors — Not  a modem  vice— Victims  of 
all  ages — Unsuspected  rottenness — Causes  of  the 
habit — Evil  associations — Corruption  in  schools 
— Wicked  nurses — Not  an  uncommon  case — The 
instmctor  in  vice — Local  disease — An  illustrative 
case — Other  physical  causes — Influence  of  stim- 
ulants— Signs  of  self-abuse — Suspicious  signs — 
General  debility — Early  symptoms  of  consump- 
tion— Premature  and  defective  development — 
Sudden  change  in  disposition — Lassitude — Sleep- 
lessness— Failure  of  mental  capacity — Fickleness 
— Untrustworthiness — Love  of  solitude — Bash- 
fulness— Unnatural  boldness — Mock  piety — Con- 
fusion of  ideas — Round  shoulders — Weak  backs 
— Pains  in  the  limbs — Stiffness  of  the  joints— 
Paralysis — Gait — Bad  positions — Lack  of  devel- 
opment of  the  breasts — Capricious  appetite — Eat- 
ing clay — The  use  of  tobacco — Unnatural  pale- 
ness— Acne — Biting  the  finger  nails — Palpita- 
tion of  the  heart — Hysteria — Chlorosis — Epilep- 


CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

tic  fits — Wetting  the  bed — Unchastity  of  speech 
— Positive  signs — Results  of  secret  vice — Efiects 
in  males — Local  efiects — Urethral  irritation — 
Stricture — Enlarged  prostate — Urinary  diseases — 
Priapism — Piles — Prolapsus  of  rectum — Exten- 
sion of  irritation — Atrophy — Varicocele — Noc- 
turnal emissions — Exciting  causes — Are  occa- 
sional emissions  necessary  or  harmless  ? — Emis- 
sions not  necessary  to  health — Eminent  testimony 
— Diurnal  emissions — Cause  of  diurnal  emis- 
sions— Internal  emissions — An  important  cau- 
tion— Impotence — General  eflFects — General  de- 
bility— Consumption — Dyspepsia — Heai't-disease 
— Throat  affections — Nervous  diseases — Epilepsy 
— Pailure  of  special  senses — Spinal  irritation — 
Insanity — A victim’s  mental  condition  pictured 
— Efiects  in  females — Local  efiects — Leucorrhoea 
— Uterine  disease — Cancer  of  the  womb — Ster- 
ility— Atrophy  of  mammae — Pruritis — General 
eflfects — A common  cause  of  hysteria — Efiects 
upon  offspring — Treatment  of  self-abuse  and  its 
effects  — Prevention  of  secret  vice  — Cultivate 
chastity — Timely  warning — Curative  treatment 
of  the  effects  of  self-abuse — Cure  of  the  habit — 
.How  may  a person  help  himself? — Hopeful  cour- 
age— General  regimen  and  treatment — Mental 
and  moral  treatment — Exercise — Never  overeat 
— Eat  but  twice  a day — Discard  all  stimulating 


CONTENTS. 


XV 


PAGB. 

food — Stimulating  drinks — Sleeping — Dreams — 

Can  dreams  be  controlled  ? — Bathing — Improve- 
ment of  general  health — Prostitution  as  a remedy 
— Marriage — Local  treatment — Cool  sitz  bath — 
Ascending  douche — Abdominal  bandage — Wet 
compress — Hot  and  cold  applications  to  the  spine 
— Local  fomentations — Local  cold  bathing — Ene- 
mata — Electricity — Internal  applications  — Use 
of  electricity — Circumcision — Impotence — V ari- 
cocele — Drugs — Rings — Quacks — Closing  advice  315 

A CHAPTER  FOR  BOYS. 

Who  are  boys  ? — What  are  boys  for  ? — Boys  the  hope 
of  the  world — Man  the  masterpiece^How  a no- 
ble character  is  ruined — The  marvelous  human 
machine — The  two  objects  of  human  existence 
— The  nutritive  apparatus  — The  mo^dng  ap- 
paratus — The  thinking  and  feeling  apparatus 
— The  purifying  apparatus  — The  reproduc- 
tive apparatus — How  a noble  charaeter  and  a 
sound  bod-y  must  be  formed — The  downhill  road 
— Self-abuse — A dreadful  sin — Self-murderers 
— What  makes  boys  dwarfs — Scrawny  and  hol- 
low-eyed boys — Old  boys — What  makes  idiots — 
Young  dyspeptics — The  race  ruined  by  boys — 
Cases  illustrating  the  effects  of  self-abuse — Two 
young  wrecks — A prodigal  youth — Barely  es- 
caped— A lost  soul— The  results  of  one  trans- 


Xvi  COISTTENTS. 

PAGE. 

gression — A hospital  case — An  old  offender — 

The  sad  end  of  a young  victim — From  bad  to 
worse — An  indignant  father — Disgusted  with  life 
— Bad  company — Bad  language — Bad  books — 

Vile  pictures — Evil  thoughts — Influence  of  other 
bad  habits — Closing  advice  to  boys  and  young 
men 419 

A CHAPTER  FOR  GIRLS. 

Girlhood — How  to  develop  beauty  and  loveliness — The 
human  form  divine — A wonderful  process — Hu- 
man buds — How  beauty  is  marred — A beauty- 
destroying  vice — Terrible  effects  of  secret  vice — 
Remote  effects — Causes  which  lead  girls  astray — 
Vicious  companions — Whom  to  avoid — Senti- 
mental books — Various  causes— Modesty  woman’s 
safeguard — A few  sad  cases — A pitiful  case — A 
mind  dethroned — A penitent  victim — A ruined 
girl — The  danger  of  boarding-schools — A desper- 
ate case — A last  word — A few  words  to  boys  and 
girls 470 


INTRODUCTION. 


OOKS  almost  without  number  have  been  writ- 
ten upon  the  subject  treated  in  this  work. 
Unfortunately,  most  of  these  works  are  utterly  unre- 
liable, being  filled  with  gross  misrepresentations  and 
exaggerations,  and  being  designed  as  advertising  me- 
diums for  ignorant  and  unscrupulous  charlatans,  or 
worse  than  worthless  patent  nostrums.  To  add  to 
their  power  for  evil,  many  of  them  abound  with  pic- 
torial illustrations  which  are  in  no  way  conducive  to 
virtue  or  morahty,  but  rather  stimulate  the  animal 
propensities  and  excite  lewd  imaginations.  Books  of 
this  character  are  usually  widely  circulated;  and 
their  pernicious  influence  is  fully  as  great  as  that  of 
works  of  a more  grossly  obscene  character.  In  most 
of  the  few  instances  in  which  the  evident  motive  of 
the  author  is  not  of  an  unworthy  character,  the  man- 
ner of  presenting  the  subject  is  unfortunately  such 
that  it  more  frequently  than  otherwise  has  a strong 
tendency  in  a direction  exactly  the  opposite  of  that 
intended  and  desired.  The  writer  of  this  work  has 
endeavored  to  avoid  the  latter  eAul  by  adopting  a 
style  of  presentation  quite  different  from  that  gener- 
ally pursued.  Instead  of  restricting  the  reader’s  at- 
tention rigidly  to  the  sexual  function  in  man,  his 
mind  is  diverted  by  frequent  references  to  corre- 
2 [17] 


18 


INTBOD  BCTION. 


Objections  Considered.  Speaking  of  Sexual  blatters  Improper. 

sponding  functions  in  lower  animals  and  in  the  vege- 
table kingdom.  By  this  means,  not  only  is  an  addi- 
tional fund  of  information  imparted,  but  the  sexual 
function  in  man  is  divested  of  its  sensuality.  It  is 
viewed  as  a fact  of  natural  history,  and  is  associated 
with  the  innocence  of  animal  life  and  the  chaste  love- 
liness of  flowers.  Thus  the  subject  comes  to  be  re- 
garded from  a purely  physiological  standpoint,  and 
is  liberated  from  the  gross  annual  instinct  which  is 
the  active  cause  of  sensuahty. 

There  are  so  many  weU-meaning  individuals  who 
object  to  the  agitation  of  this  subject  in  any  manner 
whatever,  that  it  may  be  profitable  to  consider  in 
tliis  connection  some  of  the  principal  objections  which 
are  urged  against  imparting  information  on  sexual 
subjects,  especially  against  giving  knowledge  to  the 
young. 

I.  Sexual  matters  improper  to  he  spoken  of  to 
the  young. 

This  objection  is  often  raised,  it  being  urged  that 
these  matters  are  too  delicate  to  be  even  suggested  to 
children  ; that  they  ought  to  be  kept  in  total  igno- 
rance of  all  sexual  matters  and  relations  until  nature 
indicates  that  they  are  fitted  to  receive  them.  It  is 
doubtless  true  that  children  raised  in  a perfectly  nat- 
ural way  would  have  no  sexual  thoughts  until  pu- 
berty, at  least,  and  it  woifid  be  better  if  it  might  be 
so  ; but  from  facts  pointed  out  in  succeeding  por- 
tions of  this  work,  it  is  certain  that  at  the  present 


IA^T£OD  UCTION. 


19 


Information  Eagerly  Sought.  Mock  Modesty. 

time  children  nearly  always  do  have  some  vague 
ideas  of  sexual  relations  long  before  puberty,  and 
often  at  a very  early  age.  It  is  thus  apparent  that 
by  speaking  to  children  of  sexual  matters  in  a proper 
manner,  a new  subject  is  not  introduced  to  them,  but 
it  is  merely  presenting  to  them  in  a true  hght  a sub- 
ject of  which  they  already  have  vague  ideas  ; and 
thus,  by  satisfying  a natural  curiosity,  they  are  saved 
from  supplying  by  their  imaginations  distorted  images 
and  exaggerated  conceptions,  and  from  seeking  to  ob- 
tain the  desired  information  from  evil  sources  whence 
they  would  derive  untold  injury. 

What  reason  is  there  that  the  subject  of  the  sexual 
functions  should  be  treated  with  such  maudlin  secrecy  ? 
Why  should  the  function  of  generation  be  regarded 
as  something  low  and  beastly,  unfit  to  be  spoken  of 
by  decent  people  on  decent  occasions  ? We  can  con- 
ceive of  no  answer  except  the  worse  than  beastly  use 
to  which  the  function  has  been  so  generally  put  by 
man.  There  is  nothing  about  the  sexual  organism 
which  makes  it  less  pure  than  the  lungs  or  the  stom- 
ach. “ Unto  the  pure  all  things  are  pure,”  may  have 
been  written  especially  for  our  times,  when  there  is 
such  a vast  amount  of  mock  modesty  ; when  so  much 
pretense  of  virtue  covers  such  a world  of  iniquity  and 
vice.  The  young  lady  who  goes  into  a spasm  of 
virtuous  hysterics  upon  hearing  the  word  “ leg,”  is 
perhaps  just  the  one  who  at  home  riots  her  imag- 
ination in  voluptuous  French  novels,  if  she  commits 
no  grosser  breach  of  chastity.  The  parents  who  are 


20  INTRODUCTION. 

Is  Knowledge  Dangerous  ? Bad  Sources  of  Information. 

the  most  opposed  to  imparting  information  to  the 
yoimg  are  often  those  who  have  themselves  indulged 
in  sexual  excesses.  In  the  minds  of  such  persons  the 
sexual  organs  and  functions,  and  everything  even  re- 
motely cormected  with  them,  are  associated  only  witli 
ideas  of  lust  and  gross  sensuality.  No  wonder  that 
they  wish  to  keep  such  topics  in  the  dark.  With 
such  thoughts  they  cannot  well  bear  the  scrutiny  of 
■vdidue. 

Sexual  subjects  are  not,  of  course,  proper  subjects 
for  conversation  at  all  times,  or  at  any  time  in  a 
spirit  of  levity  and  flippancy. 

11.  Knowledge  is  dangerous. 

Very  true,  knowledge  is  dangeroirs,  but  ignorance 
is  more  dangerous  stih  ; or,  rather,  partial  knowledge 
is  more  dangerous  than  a more  complete  understand- 
ing of  facts.  Children,  young  people,  wiU  not  grow 
up  in  innocent  ignorance.  If,  in  obedience  to  custom, 
they  are  not  encoui-aged  to  inquire  of  their  parents 
about  the  mysteries  of  life,  they  wiU  seek  to  satisfy 
then-  curiosity  by  appealing  to  older  or  better  informed 
.companions.  They  wiU  eagerly  read  any  book  which 
promises  any  hint  on  the  m3^sterious  subject,  and  will 
embrace  every  opportunity,  proper  or  improper — 
and  most  likely  to  be  the  latter — of  obtaining  the 
coveted  information.  Knowledge  obtained  in  this 
uncertain  and  irregular  way  must  of  necessity  be 
very  imreliable.  Many  times — generally,  in  fact — 
it  is  of  a most  corrupting  character,  and  the  clandes- 


INTIiOBUCTIOy,  21  I 

Knowledge  thongh  Dangerous  Will  Be  Obtained.  Man  Deficient  in  Instinct.  I 

tine  manner  in  which  it  is  obtained  is  itself  corrupt-  | 

ing  and  demorahzing.  A child  ought  to  be  taught  I 

to  expect  aU  such  information  from  its  parents,  and 
it  ought  not  to  be  disappointed. 

Again,  while  it  is  true  that  knowledge  is  danger- 
ous, it  is  equally  true  that  this  dangerous  knowledge 
will  be  gained  sometime,  at  any  rate  ; and  as  it  must 
come,  better  let  it  be  imparted  by  the  parent,  who 
can  administer  proper  warnings  and  cautions  along 
with  it,  than  by  any  other  individual.  Thus  may 
the  child  be  shielded  from  injury  to  which  he  would 
otherwise  be  certainly  exposed. 

in.  Young  people  should  he  left  to  find  out  these 
things  for  themselves. 

If  human  beings  received  much  of  their  knowledge 
through  instinct,  as  animals  do,  this  might  be  a proper 
course  ; but  man  gets  his  knowledge  largely  by  in- 
struction. Young  people  will  get  their  first  knowl-  | 

edge  of  sexual  matters  mostly  by  instruction  from 
some  source.  How  much  better,  then,  as  we  have 
already  shown,  to  let  them  obtain  this  knowledge 
from  the  most  natural  and  most  rehable  source  ! 

The  following  paragraph  from  Dr.  Ware  is  to  the 
point : — 

“ But  putting  aside  the  question  whether  we  ought 
to  hide  this  subject  wholly  from  the  young  if  we 
could,  the  truth,  it  is  to  be  feared,  is  that  we  cannot 
if  we  would.  Admitting  it  to  be  desirable,  every 
man  of  experience  in  life  will  pronounce  it  to  be  im- 


22  I NT  BOB  UCTION. 

Wlien  to  Impart  Knowledge.  How  to  Instruct. 

practicable.  If,  then,  we  cannot  prevent  the  minds 
of  children  from  being  engaged  in  some  way  on  this 
subject,  may  it  not  be  better  to  forestall  evil  impres- 
sions by  implanting  good  ones,  or  at  least  to  mingle 
such  good  ones  with  the  evil  as  the  nature  of  the 
case  admits  ? Let  us  be  at  least  as  wise  as  the  crafty 
enemy  of  man,  and  cast  in  a little  wheat  with  his 
tares  ; and  among  the  most  effectual  methods  of  doing 
this  is  to  impart  to  the  young  just  and  religious  views 
of  the  nature  and  purposes  of  the  relation  which  the 
Creator  has  established  between  the  two  sexes.” 

When  Shall  Information  Be  Given? — It  is  a 
matter  of  some  difficulty  to  decide  the  exact  age  at 
wliich  information  on  sexual  subjects  should  be  given 
to  the  young.  It  may  be  adopted  as  a safe  rule,  how- 
ever, that  a certain  amount  of  knowledge  should  be 
imparted  as  soon  as  there  is  manifested  a curiosity  in 
this  direction.  If  there  is  reason  to  beheve  that  the 
mind  of  the  child  is  exercised  in  this  direction,  even 
though  he  may  have  made  no  particular  inquiries, 
information  should  not  be  withheld. 

How  to  Impart  Proper  Knowledge. — No  little 
skill  may  be  displayed  in  introducing  these  subjects 
to  the  mind  of  the  young  pei-son  in  such  a way  as  to 
avoid  arousing  his  passions  and  creating  sexual  ex- 
citement. Perhaps  the  general  plan  followed  in  the 
fii-st  portion  of  this  work  wiU  be  found  a very  pleas- 
ant and  successful  method  if  studied  thoroughly  and 
well  executed. 


INTMOD  UCTION.  23 

Instruct  by  Degrees,  The  “ Silver  Spade  Theory. 

AE  information  should  not  be  given  at  once.  First 
obtain  the  chbd’s  confidence,  and  assure  him  by  can- 
dor anl  unreserve  that  you  will  give  him  aU  needed 
information  ; then,  as  he  encounters  difficulties,  he 
will  resort  for  explanation  where  he  knows  he  will 
receive  satisfaction.  When  the  little  one  questions, 
answer  trutlifuUy  and  carefully. 

The  following  paragraph  by  Dr.  Wilkinson  is  sug- 
gestive : — 

“ When  we  are  little  boys  and  girls,  our  fibrst  in- 
quiries about  our  whence  are  answered  by  the  author- 
itative dogma  of  the  ‘ silver  spade  ; ’ we  were  dug  up 
with  that  implement.  By  degrees  the  fact  comes 
forth.  The  public,  however,  remains  for  ages  in  the 
silver-spade  condition  of  mind  with  regard  to  the  sci- 
ence of  the  fact ; and  the  doctors  foster  it  by  telling 
us  that  the  whole  subject  is  a medical  property.  . . 

There  is  nothing  wrong  in  the  knowing  ; and,  though 
the  passions  might  be  stimulated  in  the  fiist  moments 
by  such  information,  yet  in  the  second  instance  they 
will  be  calmed  by  it ; and,  ceasing  to  be  inflamed  by 
the  additional  goad  of  curiosity  and  imagination,  they 
will  cool  down  under  the  hydropathic  influences  of 
science.  Well-stated  knowledge  did  never  yet  con- 
tribute to  human  inflammation  ; and  we  much  ques- 
tion whether  the  whole  theory  of  the  silver  spade  be 
not  a mistake  ; and  whether  children  should  not  be 
told  the  truth  from  the  first ; that  before  desire  and 
imagination  are  born,  the.  young  mind  may  receive, 
in  its  cool  innocency,  a knowledge  of  the  future  ob- 

1 

24  I N'T  RO  DUG  T ION. 

Tested  by  Experience.  Benefit  from  Timely  Warning. 

jects  of  powers  and  faculties  which  are  to  be  sub- 
ject afterward  to  such  strong  excitements.” 

The  experience  of  hundreds  in  the  circulation  of 
this  work  has  proven  beyond  all  chance  for  ques- 
tion the  truth  of  the  foregoing  remarks,  and  often 
in  a most  striking  manner.  Scores  of  persons  have 
written  us,  “ I would  give  all  I possess  in  this  world 
could  I have  had  a copy  of  ‘ Plain  Facts  ’ placed  in 
my  hands  when  I was  a lad,”  or,  “ Words  cannot  ex- 
press the  gratitude  I would  now  feel  had  some  kind 
friend  imparted  to  me  the  invaluable  information 
which  this  book  contains ; it  would  have  saved 
me  a life  of  wretchedness.” 

We  have  had  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  in 
numerous  instances  that  the  virtue  and  happiness 
of  whole  families  have  been  secured  by  the  timely 
warnings  of  danger  which  parents  have  obtained 
from  this  work.  We  are  glad  to  be  able  to  feel 
that  it  is  now  thoroughly  demonstrated  that  intel- 
ligent persons  who  have  given  this  subject  thought 
universally  approve  of  the  objects  of  the  work  and 
the  manner  of  presenting  the  subject  adopted  in  it. 
Those  who  at  first  question  the  propriety  of  dis- 
cussing the  subject  so  freely  and  thoroughly  as  is 
here  done,  lose  their  prejudice  entirely  upon  giving 
the  work  a careful  perusal.  In  numerous  instances 
it  has  occurred  that  those  who  were  most  decided 
in  their  denunciations  have  become  the  most  zeal- 
ous and  efiicient  agents  in  its  circulation  after  be- 
coming more  fully  acquainted  with  it. 


SEX  IN  LIVING  FORMS. 


)IFE,  in  its  great  diversity  of  forms,  has  ever 
. been  a subject  of  the  deepest  interest  to  ra- 
tional beings.  Poets  have  sung  of  its  joys  and 
sorrows,  its  brilliant  phantasies  and  harsh  realities. 
Philosophei’s  have  spent  their  lives  in  vain  at- 
tempts to  solve  its  mysteries ; and  some  have  held 
and  thought  that  life  was  nothing  more  than  a stu- 
pendous farce,  a delusion  of  the  senses.  Moralists 
have  sought  to  impress  mankind  with  the  truth 
that  “ life  is  real,”  and  teeming  with  grave  respon- 
sibilities. Physiologists  have  busied  themselves  in 
observing  the  phenomena  of  life,  and  learning, 
therefrom,  its  laws.  The  subject  is  certainly  an 
interesting  one,  and  none  could  be  more  worthy 
of  the  most  careful  attention. 

Living  Beings. — Man  possesses  life  in  common 
with  other  beings  almost  infinite  in  number  and 
variety.  The  hugest  beast  that  roams  the  forest 
or  plows  the  main  is  no  more  a living  creature 
than  the  smallest  insect  or  microscopic  animalcu- 
lum.  The  “ big  tree  ” of  California  and  the  tiny 
, blade  of  grass  which  waves  at  its  foot  are  alike 
imbued  with  life.  All  nature  teems  with  life. 

(35) 


26  PLAIN  PACTS  FOP 

Living  Beings.  The  Microscopic  World. 

The  practiced  eye  detects  multitudes  of  living 
forms  at  every  glance. 

The  universe  of  life  presents  the  most  marvelous 
manifestations  of  the  infinite  power  and  wisdom  of 
the  Creator  to  be  found  in  all  his  works.  The 
student  of  biology  sees  life  in  myriad  forms  which 
are  unnoticed  by  the  casual  observer.  The  micro- 
scope reveals  whole  worlds  of  life  that  were  un- 
known before  the  discovery  of  this  wonderful  aid 
to  human  vision, — whole  tribes  of  living  ora:an- 
isms,  each  of  which,  though  insignificant  in  size, 
possesses  organs  as  perfect  and  as  useful  to  it  in 
its  sphere  as  do  animals  of  greater  magnitude. 
Under  a poweidul  magnifying  glass,  a drop  of 
water  from  a stagnant  pool  is  found  to  be  peopled 
with  curious  animated  forms ; slime  from  a damp 
rock,  or  a speck  of  green  scum  from  the  surface 
of  a pond,  presents  a museum  of  living  wonders. 
Through  this  instrument  the  student  of  nature 
learns  that  life  in  its  lowest  form  is  represented  by 
a mere  atom  of  living  matter,  an  insignificant 
speck  of  trembling  jelly,  transparent  and  struct- 
ureless, having  no  organs  of  locomotion,  yet  able  to 
move  in  any  direction ; no  nerves  or  organs  of 
sense,  yet  possessing  a high  degree  of  sensibility ; 
no  mouth,  teeth,  nor  organs  of  digestion,  yet  capa- 
ble of  taking  food,  growing,  developing,  producing 
other  individuals  like  itself,  becoming  aged,  infirm, 
and  dying, — such  is  the  life  history  of  a living 
■ creature  at  the  lower  extreme  of  the  scale  of  ani- 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


27 


Higher  Forms.  Man.  Animals  and  Vegetables. 

mated  being.  As  we  rise  higher  in  the  scale,  we 
hnd  similar  little  atoms  of  life  associated  together 
in  a single  individual,  each  doing  its  proper  share 
of  the  woik  necessary  to  maintain  the  life  of  the 
individual  as  a whole,  yet  retaining  at  the  same 
time  its  own  individual  life. 

As  we  ascend  to  still  higher  forms,  we  find  this 
association  of  minute  living  creatures  resulting  in 
the  production  of  forms  of  increasing  complicity. 
As  the  structure  of  the  individual  becomes  more 
complex  and  its  functions  more  varied,  the  greater 
is  the  number  of  separate,  yet  associated,  organisms 
required  to  do  the  work. 

In  man,  at  the  very  summit  of  the  scale  of  ani- 
mate existence,  we  find  the  most  delicate  and  won- 
derfully intricate  living  mechanism  of  all.  In  him, 
as  in  lower,  intermediate  forms  of  life,  the  life  of 
the  individual  is  but  a summary  of  the  lives  of  all 
the  numberless  minute  organisms  of  which  bis 
body  is  composed.  The  individual  life  is  but  the 
aggregate  life  of  all  the  millions  of  distinct  indi- 
viduals which  are  associated  together  in  the  human 
organism. 

Animals  and  Vegetables. — The  first  classifica- 
tion of  living  creatures  separates  them  into  two 
great  kingdoms,  animals  and  vegetables.  Although 
it  is  very  easy  to  define  the  general  characteristics 
of  each  of  these  classes,  it  is  impossible  to  fix  upon 
any  single  peculiarity  which  will  be  applicable  in 
every  case.  Most  vegetable  organisms  remain  sta- 


28 


plain  facts  fop 


Animaloula.  Organized  Living  Beings. 

tionary,  while  some  possess  organs  of  locomotion, 
and  swim  about  in  the  water  in  a manner  much  re- 
sembling the  movements  of  certain  animals.  Most 
vegetables  obtain  their  nutriment  from  the  earth  and 
the  air,  while  animals  subsist  on  living  matter.  A 
few  plants  seem  to  take  organic  matter  for  food, 
some  even  catching  and  killing  small  insects. 

O O 

It  is  found  impossible  to  draw  the  precise  line 
between  animals  and  vegetables,  for  the  reason 
just  mentioned.  The  two  kingdoms  blend  so  inti- 
mately that  in  some  cases  it  is  impossible  to  tell 
whether  a certain  microscopic  speck  of  life  is  an 
animal  or  a vegetable.  But  since  these  doubtful 
creatures  are  usually  so  minute  that  several  mill- 
ions of  them  can  exist  in  a single  drop  of  water,  it 
is  usually  of  no  practical  importance  whether  they 
are  animal  or  vegetable,  or  sometimes  one  and 
sometimes  the  other,  as  they  have  been  supposed 
to  be  by  some  biologists. 

All  living  creatures  are  organized  beings.  Most 
possess  a structure  and  an  organism  more  or  less 
complicated;  but  some  of  the  lowest  forms  are 
merely  little  masses  of  a transparent,  homogeneous 
jeUy,  known  as  protoplasm.  Some  of  the  smallest 
of  these  are  so  minute  that  one  hundred  millions 
of  them  could  occupy  the  space  of  a cube  one- 
thousandth  of  an  inch  on  each  side ; j^et  each  one 
runs  its  course  of  life  as  regularly  as  man  himself, 
performing  its  proper  functions  even  more  per- 
fectly, perhaps. 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


29 


Life  Force.  Old  View.  New  Theory. 

Life  Force. — To  every  thinking  mind  the  ques- 
tion often  recurs,  What  makes  the  fragrant  flower 
so  different  from  the  dead  soil  from  which  it 
grows  ? the  trilling  bird,  so  vastly  superior  to  the 
inert  atmosphere  in  which  it  flies?  What  subtle 
power  paints  the  rose,  and  tunes  the  merry  song- 
ster’s voice  ? To  explain  this  mystery,  philoso- 
phers of  olden  time  supposed  the  existence  of  a 
certain  peculiar  force  which  is  called  life,  or  vital 
force,  or  vitality.  This  supposition  does  nothing 
moie  than  furnish  a name  for  a thing  unknown, 
and  the  very  existence  of  which  may  fairly  be 
doubted.  In  fact,  any  attempt  to  find  a place  for 
such  a force,  to  understand  its  origin,  or  harmonize 
its  existence  with  that  of  other  well-known  forces, 
is  unsuccessful ; and  the  theory  of  a peculiar  vital 
force,  a presiding  entity  present  in  every  living 
thing,  vanishes  into  thin  air  to  give  place  to  the 
more  rational  view  of  the  most  advanced  modern 
scientists,  that  vital  force,  so-called,  is  only  a man- 
ifestation of  the  ordinary  forces  of  nature  acting 
through  a peculiar  arrangement  of  matter.  In  other 
words,  life  depends,  not  upon  a peculiar  force,  but 
upon  a peculiar  arrangement  of  matter,  or  organiza- 
tion. It  is  simply  a peculiar  manifestation  of  the 
force  possessed  by  atoms  exhibited  through  a pecul- 
iar arrangement  of  atoms  and  molecules.  This  ar- 
rangement is  what  is  known  as  organization ; and 
bodies  which  possess  it  are  known  as  organized  or 
living  bodies.  The  term  life  mav  be  understood  a.s 


Life  tlie  Result  of  Organization. 


Nutrition  and  Reproduction. 


referring  to  the  phenomena  which  result  from  or- 
ganization. 

That  life  results  from  organization,  not  organi- 
zation from  life,  is  more  consonant  with  the 
accepted  and  established  facts  of  science  than  the 
contrary  view.  We  might  adduce  numerous  facts 
and  arguments  in  support  of  this  view  of  the 
nature  of  life,  but  wiU  not  do  so  here,  as  we  have 
considered  the  subject  at  some  length  elsewhere.* 

Nutrition  and  reproduction  are  the  two  great 
functions  of  life,  being  common  not  only  to  all 
animals,  but  to  both  animals  and  plants,  to  all 
classes  of  living  creatures.  The  object  of  the  first, 
is  the  development  and  maintenance  of  the  indi- 
vidual existence ; the  second  has  for  its  end  the 
production  of  new  individuals,  or  the  preservation 
of  the  race.  Nutrition  is  a purely  selfish  process  ; 
reproduction  is  purely  unselfish  in  its  object ; 
though  the  human  species — unlike  the  lower  an- 
imals, which,  while  less  intelligent,  are  far  more 
true  to  nature — too  often  pervert  its  functions  to 
the  most  grossly  selfish  ends. 

The  subject  of  nutrition  is  an  important  one, 
and  well  worthy  the  attention  of  every  person  who 
values  life.  The  general  disregard  of  this  subject 
is  undoubtedly  the  cause  of  a very  large  share  of 
the  ills  to  which  human  flesh  is  heir;  but  our 
limited  space  forbids  its  consideration  here,  and  we 
shall  confine  our  attention  to  reproduction. 

*See  “Science  and  the  Bible,”  pp.  36-46. 


OLD  AND  YOUNG,  gl 

Reproduction.  Spontaneous  Generation. 


Reproduction. 

As  before  remarked,  reproduction  is  a function 
common  to  all  animals  and  to  all  plants.  Every 
organized  being  has  the  power  to  repi’oduce  itself, 
or  to  produce,  or  aid  in  producing,  other  individuals 
like  itself.  It  is  by  means  of  this  function  that 
plants  and  animals  increase  or  multiply. 

When  we  consider  the  great  diversity  of  char- 
acters illustrated  in  animal  and  vegetable  life,  and 
the  infinite  variety  of  conditions  and  circumstances 
under  which  organized  creatures  exist,  it  is  not 
surprising  that  modes  of  reproduction  should  also 
present  great  diversity  both  in  general  character 
and  in  detail.  We  shall  find  it  both  interesting 
and  instructive  to  consider  some  of  the  many 
difierent  modes  of  reproduction,  or  generation, 
observed  in  dififerent  classes  of  living  beings,  pre- 
vious to  entering  upon  the  specific  study  of  repro- 
duction in  man.  Before  doing  thus,  however,  let 
us  give  brief  attention  to  a theoretical  form  of 
generation,  which  cannot  be  called  reproduction, 
known  as 

Spontaneous  Generation. — By  this  term  is 
meant  the  supposed  formation  of  living  creatures 
directly  from  dead  matter  without  the  intervention 
of  other  living  organisms.  The  theory  is,  in  sub- 
stance, an  old  one.  The  ancients  supposed  that  the 
frogs  and  other  small  reptiles  so  abundant  in  the 


32  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

An  Ancient  Theory.  No  Life  without  Previous  Life. 

vicinity  of  slimy  pools  and  stagnant  marshes,  were 
generated  spontaneously  from  the  mud  and  slime 
in  which  they  lived.  This  theoiy  was,  of  course, 
abandoned  when  the  natural  history  of  reptUes 
became  knoAvn. 

For  several  thousand  years  the  belief  was  still 
held  that  maggots  found  in  decaying  meat  were 
produced  spontaneously ; but  it  was  discovered, 
centuries  ago,  that  maggots  are  not  formed  if  the 
flesh  is  pi'otected  from  flies,  since  they  are  the 
larvcB,  or  young,  of  a species  of  this  insect.  A 
relic  of  the  ancient  belief  in  spontaneous  genera- 
tion is  still  found  in  the  supposition  that  horse-hair 
snakes,  so-called,  are  really  fonned  from  the  hairs 
of  horses.  This  belief  is  quite  common,  but  science 
long  ago  exposed  its  falsity. 

When  the  microscope  was  discovered  it  revealed 
a whole  new  world  of  infinitesimal  beings  which 
were  at  first  supposed  to  be  of  spontaneous  origin ; 
but  careful  scientific  investigation  has  shown  that 
even  these  mere  specks  of  life  are  not  independent 
of  parentage.  M.  Pasteur  and,  more  recently, 
Prof.  Tyndall,  with  many  other  distinguished  sci- 
entists, have  demonstrated  this  fact  beyond  all 
reasonable  chance  for  question. 

It  is,  then,  an  established  laAv  that  every  living 
organism  orighiates  with  some  'previously  exist- 
ing living  being  or  beings. 

It  may  be  queried,  If  it  be  true  that  life  is  but  a 
manifestation  of  the  ordinary  forces  of  matter, — 


OLD  AND  YOUNO. 


33 


Matter  Cannot  Organize  Itself.  God  the  Originator  of  Life. 

which  are  common  to  both  dead  and  living  matter, 

— being  dependent  upon  arrangement,  then  why- 
may  it  not  be  that  dead  matter  may,  through  the 
action  of  molecular  laws,  and  without  the  inter- 
vention of  any  living  existence,  assume  those 
peculiar  forms  of  arrangement  necessary  to  consti- 
tute life,  as  supposed  by  the  advocates  of  the 
theory  in  question  ? It  is  true  that  some  who  ' 
recognize  the  fact  that  life  is  the  result  of  or- 
ganization maintain  the  doctrine  of  spontaneous 
generation ; that  is,  the  production  of  life  without 
any  agency  other  than  the  recognized  forces  of 
nature  being  brought  about  simply  by  a fortuitous 
combination  of  atoms.  Although  this  doctrine 
cannot  be  said  to  be  inconsistent  with  the  theory  of 
life  presented,  yet  it  is  by  no  means  a legitimate 
or  necessary  result  of  it ; and  observation  proves 
its  falsity. 

The  testimony  of  all  nature,  as  almost  universally 
admitted  by  scientific  men,  is  that  life  originated 
through  a creative  act  by  the  first  Great  Cause, 
who  gave  to  certain  bodies  the  requisite  arrange- 
ment or  organization  to  enable  them  to  perform 
cei’tain  functions,  and  delegated  to  them  the  power 
to  transmit  the  same  to  other  matter,  and  thus  to 
perpetuate  life.  The  Creator  alone  has  the  power 
to  originate  life.  Man,  with  all  his  wisdom  and 
attainments,  cannot  discover  the  secret  of  organ- 
ization. He  may  become  familiar  with  its  phenom- 
ena, but  he  cannot  unravel,  further,  the  mystery 
3 


34i 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 


Vegetables  Organize.  Animals  only  Assimilate. 

of  life.  The  power  of  organizing  is  possessed  only 
by  the  lower  class  of  living  or  organized  bodies, 
those  known  as  vegetable  organisms  or  plants. 
A grain  of  wheat,  a kernel  of  corn,  a potato, 
when  placed  under  favorable  conditions,  takes  the 
inert,  lifeless  particles  of  matter  which  lie  about  it 
in  the  earth  and  air,  and  organizes  them  into 
living  substances  like  itself. 

To  man  and  animals  the  Creator  delegated  the 
power  to  form  their  own  peculiar  structures  from 
the  vitalized  tissues  of  plants.  Thus,  both  animal 
and  vegetable  life  is  preserved  without  the  neces- 
sity of  continued  acts  of  creative  power,  each  plant 
and  each  animal  possessing  the  power  not  only  to 
preserve  its  own  life,  but  also  to  aid,  at  least,  in 
the  perpetuation  of  the  species.  The  record  of 
creation  in  Genesis  harmonizes  perfectly  with  this 
view,  it  being  represented  that  God  formed  (organ- 
ized or  arranged)  man,  animals,  and  vegetable 
productions  from  the  earth. 

Simplest  Form  of  Generation. — Deep  down 
beneath  the  waters  of  the  ocean,  covering  its  bot- 
tom in  certain  localities,  is  found  a curious  slime, 
which,  under  the  microscope,  is  seen  to  be  composed 
of  minute  rounded  masses  of  gelatinous  matter,  or 
protoplasm.  By  watching  these  little  bodies  in- 
tently for  a few  minutes,  the  observer  will  dis- 
cover that  each  is  a living  ci’eature  capable  of 
moving,  growing,  and  assuming  a vaiiety  of  shapes. 
Continued  observation  will  reveal  the  fact  that 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


35 


Simplest  Form  of  Generation.  Sex. 

these  little  creatures  multiply  ; and  a more  careful 
scrutiny  will  enable  him  to  see  Aow  they  increase. 
Each  divides  into  two  equal  parts  so  nearly  alike 
that  they  cannot  be  distinguished  apart.  In  this 
case  the  process  of  generation  is  simply  the  pro- 
duction of  two  similar  individuals  from  one. 

A small  quantity  of  slime  taken  from  the  sur- 
face of  a stone  near  the  bottom  of  an  old  well,  or 
on  the  seaside,  when  placed  under  the  microscope, 
will  sometimes  be  found  to  contain  large  numbers 
of  small,  round,  living  bodies.  Careful  watching 
will  show  that  they  also  multiply  by  division ; but 
before  the  division  occurs,  two  cells  unite  to  form 
one  by  a process  called  conjugation.  Then,  by  the 
division  of  this  cell,  instead  of  only  two  cells,  a 
large  number  of  small  cells  are  formed,  each  of 
which  may  be  considered  as  a bud  formed  upon 
the  body  of  the  parent  cell  and  then  separated 
from  it  to  become  by  growth  an  individual  like  its 
parent,  and,  like  it,  to  produce  its  kind.  In  this 
case,  we  have  new  individuals  formed  by  the  union 
of  two  individuals  which  are  to  all  appearance 
entirely  similar  in  every  particular. 

Sex. — Rising  higher  in  the  scale  of  being,  we 
find  that,  with  rare  exceptions,  reproduction  is  the 
result  of  the  union  cf  two  dissimilar  elements. 
These  elements  do  not,  in  higher  organisms,  as  in 
lower  forms  of  life,  constitute  the  individuals,  but 
are  produced  by  them ; and  being  unlike,  they  are 
produced  by  special  organs,  each  adapted  to  the 


36  PLAI]^  FACTS  FOE 

Males  and  Females.  Hermaphrodism. 

formation  of  one  kind  of  elements.  The  two 
classes  of  organs  usually  exist  in  separate  individ- 
uals, thus  giving  rise  to  distinctions  of  sex;  an 
individual  possessing  organs  which  form  one  kind 
of  elements  being  called  a male,  and  one  possessing 
organs  for  the  formation  of  the  other  kind  of 
elements,  a female.  The  sexual  differences  be- 
tween individuals  of  the  same  species  are  not. 
however,  confined  to  the  sexual  organs.  In  most 
classes  of  plants  and  animals,  other  sexual  difier- 
ences  are  very  great.  In  some  of  the  lower  orders 
of  animals,  and  in  many  species  of  plants,  the  male 
and  female  individuals  are  so  much  unlike  that  for 
a long  time  after  they  were  well  known,  no  sexual 
relation  was  discovered. 

Hermaphrodism. — An  individual  possessing 
both  male  and  female  organs  of  reproduction  is 
called  an  hermaphrodite.  Such  a combination  is 
very  rare  among  higher  animals ; but  it  is  by  no 
means  uncommon  among  plants  and  the  lower 
forms  of  animal  life.  The  snail,  the  oj'-ster,  the 
earth- wonn,  and  the  common  tape-worm,  are  ex- 
amples of  true  hermaphrodites.  So-called  human 
hermaphrodites  are  usually  individuals  in  whom 
the  sexual  organs  are  abnormally  developed  so  that 
they  resemble  those  of  the  opposite  sex,  though 
they  really  have  but  one  sex,  which  can  usually  be 
determined  with  certainty.  Only  a very  few  cases 
have  been  observed  in  which  both  male  and  female 
organs  were  present. 


OLD  AND  TO  UNO.  87 

Persons  of  no  Sex.  Sex  in  Plants. 

There  is  now  living  in  Germany  an  individual 
who  bears  the  name  of  a woman;  but  learned 
physicians  have  decided  that  the  person  is  as  much 
man  as  woman,  having  the  organs  of  both  sexes. 
What  is  still  more  curious,  this  person  has  the 
feelings  of  both  sexes,  having  loved  at  first  a man, 
and  afterward  a woman.  There  have  been  ob- 
served, also,  a very  few  instances  of  individuals 
in  whom  the  sexual  organs  of  neither  sex  were 
present.  It  thus  appears  that  a person  may  be  of 
both  sexes  or  of  no  sex  at  all. 

Sex  in  Plants. — To  one  unacquainted  with  the 
mysteries  of  plant  life  and  growth,  the  idea  of 
attaching  sexuality  to  plants  seems  very  extraor- 
dinary ; but  the  botanist  recognizes  the  fact  that 
the  distinctions  of  sex  are  as  clearly  maintained  in 
the  vegetable  as  in  the  animal  kingdom.  The 
sexual  organs  of  the  higher  orders  of  plants  are 
flowers.  That  part  of  the  flower  which  produces 
seeds  answers  to  the  female ; another  part,  which 
is  incapable  of  forming  seeds,  answers  to  the  male. 
The  fertile  and  sterile  flowers  are  sometimes  pro- 
duced on  separate  plants.  Very  frequently,  they 
are  produced  upon  separate  parts  of  the  same 
plant,  as  in  the  oak,  walnut,  and  many  other 
forest  trees,  and  Indian  corn.  In  the  latter  plant, 
so  familiar  to  every  one,  the  “ tassel  ” contains  the 
male  flowers,  and  the  part  known  as  the  “ silk,  ” 
with  the  portion  to  which  it  is  attached — which 
becomes  the  ear — the  female  or  fertile  flowei's. 


38  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Sex  in  Animals.  Sexual  Differences. 

In  a large  number  of  species,  the  male  and  female 
organs  are  combined  in  a single  flower,  making  a 
true  bermapbrodite. 

Sex  in  Animals. — As  previously  remarked, 
individuals  of  opposite  sex  usually  difier  much 
more  than  in  the  character  of  their  sexual  organs 
only.  Among  higher  animals,  the  male  is  usually 
larger,  stronger,  and  of  coarser  structure  than  the 
female.  The  same  contrast  is  observed  in  their 
mental  characters.  With  lower  animals,  especially 
insects,  the  opposite  is  often  observed.  The  female 
spider  is  many  times  larger  than  the  male.  The 
male  ant  is  small  in  size  when  compared  with  the 
female.  Nevertheless,  in  all  classes  of  animals  the 
difference  in  the  structure  and  the  functions  of  the 
sexual  organs  is  the  chief  distinguishing  character. 
These  differences  are  not  so  great,  however,  as  they 
might  at  first  appear.,  The  male  and  female  organs 
of  reproduction  in  man  and  other  animals,  which 
seem  so  dissimilar,  when  studied  in  the  light  shed' 
upon  this  subject  by  the  science  of  embryology, 
are  found  to  be  wonderfully  alike  in  structure, 
differing  far  more  in  appearance  than  in  reality, 
and  being  little  more  than  modifications  of  one 
general  plan.  Every  organ  to  be  found  in  the  one 
sex  has  an  analogue  in  the  other  which  is  complete 
in  every  particular,  coixesponding  in  function,  in 
structure,  and  usually  in  position. 

Other  Sexual  Differences. — In  this  country 
there  is  between  five  and  six  indies  difference  in 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


39 


General  Physical  Differences.  Woman  not  Naturally  Athletic. 

height  and  about  twenty  pounds  difference  in 
weight  between  the  average  man  and  the  average 
woman,  the  average  man  being  about  five  feet, 
eight  inches  in  height,  and  weighing  one  hundred 
and  forty -five  pounds  ; while  the  average  woman  is 
five  feet,  two  or  two  and  one-half  inches  in  height, 
and  weighs  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  pounds. 
The  relation  of  the  sexes  in  height  and  weight 
varies  in  degree  in  different  countries,  but  is  never 
changed.  The  average  height  and  weight  of  Amer- 
ican men  and  women  is  considerably  above  that  of 
the  average  human  being. 

Men  and  Women  Differ  in  Form. — The  dif- 
ferences in  form  are  so  marked  that  it  is  possible 
for  the  skilled  anatomist  to  determine  the  sex  of  a 
human  being  who  has  been  dead  for  ages,  by  an 
examination  of  the  skeleton  alone.  In  man,  the 
shoulders  are  broad,  the  hips  narrow,  and  the 
limbs  nearly  straight  with  the  body.  In  woman, 
the  shoulders  are  narrow  and  usually  rounded,  and 
set  farther  back,  the  collar-bone  being  longer  and 
less  curved,  giving  the  chest . greater  prominence  ; 
while  the  hips  are  broad. 

The  consequence  of  these  differences  is  that 
woman  is  generally  less  graceful  and  naturally  less 
skillful  in  the  use  of  the  extremities  than  man^ 
and  hence  less  fitted  for  athletic  sports  and  feats 
requiring  great  dexterity.  A girl  throws  a stone 
awkwardly,  less  from  want  of  practice  than  from 
a natural  peculiarity  of  physical  structure.  A 


40  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Female  Pedeetrianism.  iDlmmanity  to  ‘Woman, 

woman  walks  less  gracefully  than  a man,  owing 
to  the  greater  relative  breadth  of  her  hips,  requir- 
ing a motion  of  the  body  together  with  that  of  the 
limbs.  In  consequence  of  this  peculiarity,  a wo- 
man is  less  fitted  for  walking  long  distances. 

Modern  Mania  for  Female  Pedestrianism. — 
Nothing  could  be  much  more  inhuman  'than  the 
exhibitions  made  in  satisfying  the  mania  for  fe- 
male pedestrianism  which  has  recently  arisen.  Not 
long  since,  in  walking  down  one  of  the  principal 
streets  of  Boston,  we  passed,  in  going  a distance  of 
thirty  rods,  three  illuminated  placards  announcing 
to  the  public  that  in  as  many  different  public  halls 
four  female  pedestrians  were  exhibiting  their  walk- 
ing talents  for  the  gratification  of  the  crowds  of 
bawdy  loafers  and  jockeys  who  congregated  to 
criticize  their  several  “points,”  and  bet  on  their 
walking  capacity,  as  though  they  were  horses  on 
a race-course  or  hounds  on  a fox  hunt. 

3,000  Quarter  Miles  in  3,000  Qnarter  Honrs. 
— We  visited  the  halls  and  ascertained  that  two 
of  these  misguided  women  were  attempting  the 
feat  of  walking  respectively  2,700  and  3,000  quar- 
ter miles  in  an  equal  number  of  successive  quarter 
hours.  This  would  require  almost  incessant  exer- 
tion for  nearly  twenty-eight  days  in  one  case,  and 
for  more  than  thirty-one  days  in  the  other,  with- 
out at  any  time  a period  of  unbroken  rest  longer 
than  ten  minutes.  Such  a procedure,  in  the  light 
of  physiology,  is  a greater  inhumanity  than  the 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


41 


A Female  Walking  Match.  A Shameful  Show. 

most  merciless  Boston  teamster  would  inflict  upon 
his  dumb  brutes.  Why  does  not  Mr.  Bergh  exer- 
cise his  function  in  such  cases  ? We  did  not  won- 
der that  the  poor  women  looked  pale  and  sufiering, 
and  trudged  along  with  a limping  gait. 

A Female  Walking  Match. — At  another  hall 
we  found  two  women  engaged  in  a “ walking 
match.”  The  hall  was  so  crowded  with  specta- 
tors— with  very  few  exceptions  of  the  male  sex — 
that  it  was  with  difficulty  the  narrow  track  could 
be  kept  clear. 

The  sixty  hours  for  which  the  walk  was  to  be 
continued  had  nearly  expired,  and  the  excitement 
grew  more  intense  each  moment.  One  of  the 
walkers,  who  was'  a few  miles  in  advance,  strode 
on  at  a pace  almost  marvelous,  constantly  stimu- 
lated to  greater  efforts  by  the  coarse  shouts  of  the 
masculine  audience,  who  evidently  took  the  same 
sort  of  interest  in  the  proceeding  that  they  would 
in  a dog  race  or  a cock  fight.  The  other  was  pale 
and  spiritless,  and  it  seemed  with  difficulty  that 
she  dragged  herself  along  to  keep  upon  the  track 
until  the  last.  At  times  she  seemed  to  be  almost 
fainting,  as  the  result  of  the  long-continued  excite- 
ment and  fatigue  ; but  she  managed  to  keep  going 
until  nine  minutes  before  the  slow  moving  clock 
had  measured  off  the  sixty  hours,  when,  she  be- 
came too  ill  to  be  longer  able  to  stand,  and  was 
carried  oflT  the  track. 

The  cheers  for  the  winner  were  as  vigorous  as 


42  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

■Woman  in  the  Ring.  The  Male  and  the  Female  Brain. 

though  a rebel  fort  had  been  captured,  a million 
people  emancipated  from  slavery,  or  some  great 
and  noble  deed  of  honor  or  daring  had  been  done ; 
but  no  one  thought  of  the  injury  which  had  been 
done  the  contestant.  We  turned  away  in  disgust. 

The  ancient  Greeks  and  Romans  amused  them- 
selves with  witnessing  the  gladiatorial  contests  of 
their  male  slaves;  but  it  was  left  for  civilized 
America  to  introduce  woman  into  the  “ ring  ” and 
make  her  show  her  paces  on  the  race-course.  An 
ungraceful  figure  she  cuts,  and  a repulsive  spectacle 
she  presents ; and  worst  of  aU  is  the  havoc  which 
she  makes  with  her  health.  At  the  very  time 
that  these  four  female  pedestrians  were  making 
their  disgraceful  exhibit  in  Boston,  in  another  part 
of  the  same  city  lay  a helpless  invalid  who  was 
once  as  noted  a “ female  walkist  ” as  any  of  them, 
made  hopelessly  ill  by  the  same  disregard  of  the 
plainest  laws  of  nature. 

Tiie  Male  and  the  Female  Brain. — But  there 
are  other  important  physical  differences  to  which 
we  must  call  atteiition.  Man  possesses  a larger 
brain  than  woman,  but  she  makes  up  the  defi- 
ciency in  size  by  superior  fineness  in  quality.  The 
female  brain  differs  from  the  masculine  organ  of 
mentality  in  other  particulars  so  marked  that  one 
who  has  given  the  subject  attention  can  determine 
with  perfect  ease  the  probable  sex  of  the  owner  of 
almost  any  skull  which  might  be  presented  to  him. 
This  difference  in  the  confox’mation  of  the  skull  is 


OLD  AND  YOVNQ.  43 

Vital  Organs  of  Man  and  Woman.  Woman  Less  Muscular. 

undoubtedly  due  to  a difference  in  mental  charac- 
ter, which,  in  turn,  depends  upon  a diflerence  in 
cerebral  development.  Faculties  which  are  gener- 
ally largely  developed  in  one  are  usually  smaller 
in  the  other,  and  the  reverse. 

Tital  Organs  of  Man  and  Woman. — The  anat- 
omist also  observes  an  interesting  difference  in  the 
size  of  the  various  vital  organs.  For  example, 
while  a woman  has  a heart  proportionally  smaller 
than  the  same  organ  in  man,  she  has  a larger  liver. 
Thus,  while  less  well  fitted  for  severe  physical  ex- 
ertion by  less  circulatory  power,  she  has  superior 
excretory  poiyeirs.. . / 

..  - — — • ■ j 

Woman  Less  Mnscnlar,  More  Enduring. — 
This  peculiarity  of  structure  is  perfectly  harmoni- 
ous with  the  fact  which  expeiience  has  established 
so  often  as  to  make  the  matter  no  longer  a question, 
that  woman  is  less  fitted  for  severe  muscular  exer- 
tion than  man,  but  possesses  in  a superior  degree 
the  quality  known  as  endurance'.  With  a less 
robust  frame,  a more  delicately  organized  constitu- 
tion, she  will  endure  for  months  what  would  kill 
a robust  man  in  as  many’  weeks.  More  perfect 
elimination  of  the  wastes  of  the  body  secures  a 
higher  grade  of  vitality.  On  no  other  hypothesis 
could  we  account  for  the  marvelous  endurance  of 
the  feminine  part  of  the  civilized  portion  of  the 
human  race,  ground  down  under  the  heel  of  fash- 
ion for  ages,  “stayed,”  “corseted,”  “laced,”  and 
thereby  distorted  and  deformed  in  a manner  that 


44  PLAIlSr  FACTS  FOB 

A Pathological  Difference.  Do  Women  Breathe  Naturally? 

■would  be  fatal  to  almost  any  member  of  the  mas- 
culine sex. 

A Pathological  Difference. — Most  physiologists 
mention  another  particular  in  which  woman  differs 
materially  from  man ; viz.,  in  naturally  employing, 
in  respiration,  chiefly  the  upper  part  of  the  lungs, 
while  man  breathes  chiefly  with  the  lower  part  of 
the  lungs.  For  several  years  we  have  carefully 
studied  this  question,  and  we  have  been  unable  to 
And  any  physiological  or  anatomical  reason  suffi- 
cient to  account  for  this  fact,  if  it  be  such. 

Why  a Woman  Does  not  Breathe  Like  a Man. 
— It  is  undoubtedly  true  that  most  women  do 
breathe  almost  exclusively  "with  the  upper  part  of 
the  chest;  but  whether  this  is  a natural  peculiar- 
ity, or  an  acquired,  unnatural,  and  depraved  one,  is 
a question  which  we  are  decidedly  inclined  to  an- 
swer in  harmony  with  the  latter  supposition,  bas- 
ing our  conclusion  on  the  following  undeniable 
facts : — 

1.  In  childhood,  and  until  about  the  age  of 
puberty,  respiration  in  the  boy  and  the  girl  is  ex- 
actly the  same. 

2.  Although  there  is  a change  in  the  mode  of 
resphation  in  most  females,  usually  soon  after  the 
period  of  puberty,  marked  by  increased  intercostal 
respiration  and  diminished  abdominal  or  deep  res- 
piration, this  change  can  be  accounted  for  on  other 
than  physiological  grounds. 

3.  We  believe  the  cause  of  this  modification  of 


OLD  AND  YOUNG.  45 

Obstacles  to  Natural  Respiration.  The  Reproductive  Elements. 

respiration  is  the  change  in  dress  which  is  usually 
made  about  that  time.  The  young  girl  is  now  be- 
coming a woman,  and  must  acquire  the  art  of 
lacing,  wearing  a corset,  “ stays,”  and  sundry  other 
contrivances  by  means  of  which  to  produce  a “ fine 
form”  by  distorting  and  destroying  all  natural 
grace  and  beauty  in  the  “ form  divine.” 

4.  We  have  met  a number  of  ladies  whose  good 
fortune  and  good  sense  had  delivered  them  from 
the  distorting  influence  of  corset-wearing  and 
tight-lacing,  and  we  have  invariably  observed  that 
they  are  as  capable  of  deep  respiration  as  men,  and 
practice  it  as  naturally. 

We  are  thoroughly  convinced  that  this  so-called 
physiological  difference  between  man  and  woman 
is  really  a pathological  rather  than  a natural  dif- 
ference, and  is  due  to  the  evils  of  fashionable 
-dress,  which  we  have  exposed  at  some  length  in 
another  work  exclusively  devoted  to  that  subject.* 
In  short,  we  believe  that  the  only  reason  why 
women  do  not,  under  ordinary  circumstances, 
breathe  as  do  men,  is  simply  because  they  can  not 
breathe  naturally. 

Tlie  Reproductive  Elements. — As  has  been 
previously  observed,  in  all  except  the  very  lowest 
forms  of  life,  two  elements  are  necessary  to  the 
production  of  a new  individual,  or  a reproduction 
of  the  species — a male  element  and  a female  ele- 
ment. The  special  organs  by  means  of  which 


* “Evils  of  Fashionable  Dress,  and  How  to  Dress  Healthfullv.” 


4G  FLAJ^  FACTS  FOB 

Sexual  Organs.  Plants. 

these  elements  are  produced,  brought  together,  and 
developed  into  the  new  individual  in  a more  or 
less  perfect  state,  are  termed  sexual  organs,  as  we 
have  already  seen.  As  an  introduction  to  the  spe- 
cific study  of  the  sexual  organs  in  the  human 
species,  let  us  briefly  consider  the 

Sexual  Organs  of  Plants. — As  already  re- 
marked, flowers  are  the  sexual  organs  of  plants. 

• Nothing  is  more  interesting  in  the  natural  world 
than  the  wonderful  beauty,  diversity,  and  perfect 
adaptability  to  various  conditions  and  functions, 
which  we  see  in  the  sexual  parts  of  plants.  An 
exceedingly  interesting  line  of  study,  which  has 
occupied  the  attention  of  many  naturalists,  is  the 
wonderful  perfection  displayed  in  the  adaptability 
of  the  male  and  female  parts  of  plants  to  each 
other.  Without  burdening  the  reader  with  un- 
necessary technicalities  of  detail,  we  will  briefly 
notice  the  principal  parts  of  vegetable  sexual 
orerans  as  illustrated  in  flowers. 

Complete  flowers  are  made  up  of  four  parts,  two 
of  which,  the  stamen  and  'pistil,  are  essential,  while 
the  other  two,  the  calyx  and  corolla,  are  accessory. 

The  calyx  is  that  part  which  surrounds  the  flower 
at  its  outer  and  lower  part.  It  varies  greatly  in 
form  and  color,  but  is  most  frequently  of  a green 
or  greenish  color. 

Just  within  the  calyx  is  the  corolla,  which  usu- 
ally forms  the  most  attractive,  sho^vJ^  and  beau- 
tiful part  of  the  flower.  The  beautifully  colored 


OLD  AJ^B  YOUNG,  47 

Vegetable  Husbands.  Polygamous  Flowers. 

petals  of  the  rose,  geranium,  dahlia,  and  other 
similar  flowers,  form  their  corollas. 

Yegetable  Husbands. — Within  the  cup  formed 
by  the  calyx  and  corolla  are  placed  the  stamens 
and  pistils  of  the  flower,  the  flrst  being  the  male 
organs  proper,  and  the  second  the  female  organs  of 
the  flower. 

The  stamen  is  composed  of  a stem  or  filament,  at 
the  summit  of  which  are  placed  two  little  sacks 
called  the  anther,  which  contain  a fine,  microscopic 
dust,  the  pollen,  which  contains  the  male  reproduc- 
tive element  of  the  flower.  This  part  of  the  plant 
corresponds  to  the  male  organ  of  reproduction  in 
animals.  A stamen  has  been  called,  not  inaptly,  a 
vegetable  husband.  Some  flowers  have  many  sta- 
mens, or  vegetable  husbands,  which  reminds  us  of 
the  custom  in  Thibet  and  some  other  Eastern 
countries  which  allows  a woman  to  have  several 
husbands. 

Polygamous  Flowers. — The  great  naturalist, 
Linnaeus,  whose  name  was  immortalized  by  his 
careful  study  and  classification  of  organized  life, 
made  the  number  of  stamens  possessed  by  various 
flowers  the  basis  of  a systematic  classification. 

For  example,  a flower  having  but  one  stamen 
w'^as  classed  as  monandria,  which  means,  literally, 
one  husband ; one  having  two  stamens  was  class- 
ified as  diandria ; flowers  having  a large  number 
of  male  organs  were  termed  polyandria,  or  many 
husbands. 

I 


1 

48  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

The  Female  Organs  of  Flowers.  Sexual  Organs  of  Animals. 

The  Female  Organ  of  Flowers. — The  'pistil 
occupies  the  very  center  of  the  flower.  It  pro- 
duces and  contains  in  a cell,  the  female  element, 
termed  the  ovule.  It  is  surmounted  by  the  style 
and  the  stigma. 

A series  of  plants  in  which  the  sexual  organs  are 
not  visible  to  the  eye  are  termed  cryptogamia, 
which  means  literally,  hidden  marriages. 

As  we  proceed  to  study  the  anatomy  of  the 
human  sexual  appai’atus  we  shall  be  constantly 
struck  with  the  remarkable  correspondence  between 
animals  and  vegetables  in  the  structure  and  func- 
tions of  the  sexual  apparatus. 

Sexual  Organs  of  Animals. — The  male  repro- 
ductive element  is  called  a spermatozoon  or  zoo- 
sperm.  The  female  element  is  called  an  ovum, 

' literally,  an  egg. 

The  Spermatozoon. — The  male  reproductive  ele- 
ment of  animals  is  formed  by  an  organ  called  the 
testis,  or  testicle,  of  which  each  male  possesses  two. 

They  are  elastic,  glandular  bodies,  and  are  formed 
within  the  cavity  of  the  abdomen,  near  the  kid- 
neys, but  usually  pass  out  of  the  abdominal  caNuty 
and  descend  to  their  permanent  position  before 
birth.  The  opening  in  the  abdominal  wall  is  usu- 
ally completely  closed  in  a short  time ; but  occa- 
sionally it  remains  open,  giving  rise  to  congenital 
hernia,  an  accident  in  which  a loop  of  intestine  fol- 
lows the  testicle  down  into  the  scrotum,  either  com- 
pletely or  partially.  In  a few  animals,  as  in  the 

1 

OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


4.'^' 

Anomalous  Cases.  Human  Spermatozoa. 

porcupine,  the  opening  is  never  fully  closed,  and 
the  testis  remains  in  the  cavity  of  the  body  most 
of  the  time,  passing  out  only  at  certain  periods. 
We  also  occasionally  meet  cases  of  human  beings 
in  which  the  testes  have  never  descended  from 
their  place  in  the  abdominal  cavity,  giving  the 
individuals  the  appearance  of  eunuchs.  This  con- 
dition, however,  though  an  abnormal  one,  does  not 
in  any  way  interfere  with  the  function  of  the 
organs,  las  those  who  happen  to  possess  it  often 
imagine.  We  have  also  met  with  cases  in  which 
the  organs  were  movable,  and  could  readily  be 
pressed  up  into  the  abdominal  cavity,  through  the 
unclosed  inguinal  cavity,  which  afforded  them  a 
passage  downward  in  the  process  of  development. 

As  before  remarked,  these  peculiarities  do  not  af- 
fect the  functions  of  the  organs  in  any  appreciable 
degree,  although  they  not  infrequently  give  rise  to 
some  apprehension  on  the  part  of  those  subject  to 
them.  The  left  testicle  is  sometimes  a little  smaller 
than  the  right,  another  fact  which  is  seized  upon 
by  quacks  as  a means  of  exciting  the  fears  of  young 
men  who  have  been  addicted  to  bad  habits,  although 
the  peculiarity  is  generally  without  important  sig- 
nificance. 

The  testicles  are  connected  with  the  urinary  pas- 
sage by  means  of  two  ducts  which  terminate  near 
the  base  of  the  bladder,  at  which  point  they  con- 
nect with  the  urethra.  We  need  not  dwell  at  fur- 
4 


50  PLAIN  PACTS  poll 

Description  of  Spermatooza.  Development. 

ther  length  upon  the  structure  oi  the  testicles,  as 
this  subject  receives  fuller  attention  elsewhere. 

Human  spermatozoa  are  about  of  an  inch  in 
length.  Those  of  reptiles  are  very  much  larger.- 
One  of  the  remarkable  features  of  these  minute 
elements  is  their  peculiar  movements.  While 
alive,  the  filamentous  tail  is  in  constant  action  in 
a manner  strongly  resembling  the  movements  of 
the  caudal  appendage  of  a tadpole.  This  wonder- 
frl  property  led  the  earlier  observers  to  believe 
that  they  were  true  animalcula.  But  they  are  not 
to  be  regarded  as  such,  though  one  can  scarcely 
make  himself  believe  otherwise  while  watching 
their  lively  evolutions,  and  apparent  volitionary 
movement  from  one  point  to  another. 

Snermatozoa  originate  in  the  testis  as  cells, 
which  are  filled  with  granules.  After  a time,  each 
granule  acquires  a long  appendage,  and  then  the 
cell  has  become  converted  into  a bundle  of  small 
zoosperms.  Development  still  continues,  until  fi- 
nally the  thin  pellicle  on  the  outside  of  the  bundle 
is  ruptured,  thus  liberating  the  young  spermatozoa, 
which  speedily  complete  their  full  development. 
The  spermatozoon  is  pure  protoplasm,  which  is  the 
basis  of  all  life,  and  its  power  of  spontaneous  mo- 
tion is  due  to  this  fact. 

In  man,  the  formation  of  spennatozoa  continues 
with  greater  or  less  rapidity  from  puberty  to  old 
ao-e  though  at  the  two  extremes  of  existence 
they  are  imperfectly  developed.  When  not  dis- 


OLD  ALTB  Y0U2LG.  51 

TIio  Seminal  Fluid.  The  Human  Ovum.  _ 

charged  from  the  body,  they  are  said  to  be  ab- 
sorbed. Some  physiologists  claim  that  they  are 
composed  of  a substance  identical  with  nerve  tis- 
sue, and  that  by  absorption  they  play  a veiy 
important  part  in  the  development  and  mainte- 
nance of  the  nervous  system. 

It  is  asserted  by  good  authorities  that  the  repro- 
ductive element  in  man  is  not  so  well  developed  as 
to  be  really  fit  for  the  reproduction  of  the  species 
before  the  age  of  twenty-four  or  twenty-five. 
After  the  age  of  forty-five  or  fifty,  the  reproduc- 
tive elements  deteriorate  in  quality,  and  become 
again  unfitted  for  vigorous  procreation. 

The  fully  developed  zoosperms  are  suspended  in 
a transparent,  gelatinous  fluid,  which,  mingled  with 
the  secretion  of  the  prostate  gland  and  other  fluids 
which  it  meets  during  its  expulsion  from  the  body, 
constitutes  the  semen. 

The  Ovum. — The  female  element  of  generation, 
the  ovum,  is  produced  by  an  organ  called  the 
ovary,  of  which  there  are  two  in  each  individual. 
In  size  and  form,  the  ovary  closely  resembles  the 
testicle.  Like  the  latter  organ,  also,  it  is  formed 
within  the  body  early  in  the  process  of  develop- 
ment ; but  instead  of  passing  outward  and  down- 
ward, as  does  the  testicle,  it  remains  within  the 
’■■bdominal  cavity,  suspended  in  place  by  ligaments, 
it  is  connected  with  a duct  which  receives  the 
ovum  as  it  is  discharged,  and  conveys  it  to  the 
uterus. 


'62 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 


Size  of  the  Ovum.  Fecundation. 

The  human  ovum  varies  in  size  from  yts-  to  ihj  of 
an  inch  in  diameter,  and  consists  of  a single  cell. 
Ova  are  not  formed  in  such  large  numbers  as  zoo- 
sperms. As  a general  rule,  in  the  human  female,  a 
single  ovum  is  developed  and  discharged  once  in 
about  four  weeks,  during  the  period  of  sexual 
activity. 

Fecundation. — It  is  often  asked,  and  the  ques- 
tion has  elicited  some  discussion.  Which  is  the 
principal  reproductive  element ; the  zodspei-m,  or 
the  ovum  ? The  ancients  supposed  the  male  ele- 
ment to  be  the  essential  element,  being  simply 
nourished  and  developed  by  the  female  ; but  mod- 
ern research  in  biological  science  does  not  sustain 
this  view.  Probably  neither  one  enjoys  especial 
preeminence ; for  neither  can  undergo  complete 
development  without  the  other.  In  verj^  rare 
cases,  the  ovum  has  been  observed  to  undergo  a 
certain  amount  of  development  of  itself;  but  a 
perfect  individual  can  be  produced  only  by  the 
union  of  the  two  kinds  of  elements,  which  process 
is  known  as  fecundation.  The  instant  this  union 
occurs,  the  life  of  a new  individual  begins.  AH 
the  changes  which  result  between  that  moment 
and  the  birth  of  the  individual  are  those  of  devel- 
opment only.  Indeed,  the  same  existence  contin- 
ues from  the  instant  of  the  union  of  the  two 
elements,  not  only  until  birth,  but  through  growth, 
the  attainment  of  maturity,  the.  decline  of  life,  and 
even  until  death. 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


53 


Different  Modes  of  Fecundation.  In  Flowers. 

It  is  interesting  to  observe  the  different  methods 
by  which  fecundation  is  effected,  both  in  plants 
and  animals,  for  this  is  a process  common  to  both. 

Fecundation  in  Flowers. — The  great  natural- 
ist, Linnaeus,  was  the  first  to  explain  the  repro- 
ductive process  in  plants.  He  tells  us  that  “the 
flower  forms  the  theater  of  their  amours;  the  calyx 
is  to  be  considered  as  the  nuptial  bed  ; the  corolla 
constitutes  the  curtains;  the  anthers  are  the  testes; 
the  pollen,  the  fecundating  fluid ; the  stigma  of 
the  pistil,  the  external  genital  aperture  ; the  style, 
the  vagina,  or  the  conductor  of  the  prolific  seed ; 
the  ovary  of  the  plant,  the  womb ; the  reciprocal 
action  of  the  stamens  on  the  pistil,  the  accessory 
process  of  fecundation.” 

Thus  marvelous  is  the  analogy  between  the  re- 
productive organs  and  their  functions  in  plants  and 
animals.  Through  this  one  vital  process  we  may 
trace  a close  relation  between  all  the  forms  of  life, 
from  the  humblest  plant,  or  even  the  mere  specks 
of  life  which  form  the  green  scum  upon  a stagnant 
pool,  to  man,  the  masterpiece  of  creation,  the  high- 
est of  all  animated  creatures.  In  all  the  realm  of 
Nature  there  can  be  found  no  more  remarkable  evi- 
dences of  the  infinite  skill  and  wisdom  of  the  Cre- 
ator of  all  things. 

In  many  instances  the  action  of  plants  seems  al- 
most to  be  prompted  by  intelligence.  At  the  proper 
moment,  the  corolla  contracts  in  such  a way  as  to 
bring  the  stamens  nearer  to  the  stigma,  or  in  con- 


FLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Curious  Facts.  Mechanical  in  Flowers. 

tact  ■with  it,  so  as  to  insure  fecundation.  In  some 
aquatic  plants  the  fio'wers  elevate  themselves  above 
the  surface  of  ■water  ■while  the  process  of  fecunda- 
tion is  effected,  submerging  themselves  again  im- 
mediately afterward. 

Other  veiy  curious  changes  occur  in  flowers  of 
different  species  during  the  reproductive  act.  The 
stigma  is  observed  to  become  moistened,  and  even 
to  become  distinctly  odorous.  Often,  too,  it  be- 
comes intensely  congested  with  the  juices  of  the 
plant,  and  sometimes  even  acquires  an  uncommon 
and  most  remarkable  degree  of  contractility.  This 
is  the  case  ■with  the  stigma  of  the  tulip  and  one 
variety  of  sensitive  plant,  and  is  in  these  plants 
observed  to  occur  not  only  after  the  application  of 
the  pollen  to  the  stigma,  but  when  excited  by  any 
other  means  of  stimulation.  The  flowers  of  some 
plants,  during  and  after  fecundation,  also  show 
an  increase  of  heat,  in  some  cases  so  marked  as  to 
be  readily  detected  with  the  thermometer.  This  is 
said  to  be  the  case  ■with  the  arum  of  Italy, 

In  some  plants  in  which  the  pistil  is  longer  than 
the  stamens,  thus  elevating  the  stigma  above  the 
anthers,  the  female  organ  is  often  observed  to  bend 
over  and  depress  itself  so  as  to  come  within  reacli 
of  the  anthers. 

In  most  instances  the  fecundation  of  flowers  is 
chiefly  effected  through  a purely  mechanical  proc- 
ess, though  in  these  cases  also  we  see  a wonderful 
adaptation  of  parts  to  conditions. 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


55 


Wise  Provision  of  Nature.  Fecundation  in  Animals. 

When  the  male  and  female  parts  of  flowers  are 
situated  on  different  plants,  as  is  the  case  in  the 
willow,  the  poplar,  the  melon  vine,  and  many  other 
species,  the  pollen  of  the  male  flower  is  wafted  by 
the  wind  or  gentle  breeze  to  the  stigma  of  the 
female  flower,  which  will  usually  be  found  at  no 
very  great  distance,  although  fertilization  may 
take  place  in  this  way  at  very  considerable  dis- 
tances. Bees,  moths,  and  many  other  species  of 
insects,  serve  a very  important  purpose  in  this 
work,  transporting  the  fertilizing  dust  upon  their 
wings,  antennae,  sucking-tubes,  and  feet.  Small 
birds,  and  even  the  humble  snail,  which  would 
scarcely  be  credited  with  any  useful  function,  are 
also  very  serviceable  in  the  same  direction.  The 
part  performed  by  insects  in  the  reproductive  proc- 
ess of  many  plants  is  so  great  that  they  have 
been  very  poetically  termed  “ the  marriage  priests 
of  flowers.” 

Nature  provides  for  thorough  fecundation  in 
these  cases  by  placing  the  plants  which  bear  the 
male  and  the  female  flowers  near  each  other.  This 
fact  accounts  for  the  unproductiveness  of  certain 
varieties  of  strawberries  unless  mixed  with  plants 
of  some  other  variety,  it  being  well  known  to 
nursery-men  that  some  varieties  produce  only  the 
female  parts  of  flowers. 

Modes  of  Fecxindation  in  Animals.  — The 
modes  by  which  fecundation  is  effected  in  animals 
are  still  more  various  and  wonderful  than  in  plants. 


56 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 


Fecundation  in  Fish  and  Keptiles.  In  Higher  Animals. 

In  some  of  the  lower  animals,  as  in  most  fish  and 
reptiles,  both  elements  are  discharged  from  the  bod- 
ies of  the  parents  before  coming  in  contact,  there  be- 
ing no  contact  of  the  two  individuals.  In  this  class 
of  animals  the  process  is  almost  wholly  analogous  to 
fecundation  in  those  plants  in  which  the  male  and 
female  flowers  are  on  different  plants  or  difier- 
ent  parts  of  the  same  plant.  In  the  female  fish,  a 
large  number  of  ova  are  developed  at  a certain  sea- 
son of  the  year  known  as  the  spawning  season. 
Sometimes  the  number  reaches  many  thousands. 
At  the  same  time,  the  testicles  of  the  male  fish, 
which  are  contained  within  the  abdominal  cavity, 
become  distended  with  developed  zoosperms.  When 
the  female  seeks  a place  to  deposit  her  eggs,  the 
male  closely  follows ; and  as  she  drops  them  upon 
the  gravelly  bottom,  he  discharges  upon  them  the 
zoosperms  by  which  they  are  fecundated.  The  proc- 
ess is  analogous  to  some  species  of  frogs.  When 
the  female  is  about  to  deposit  her  eggs,  the  male 
mounts  upon  her  back  and  rides  about  until  the 
eggs  are  all  deposited,  discharging  upon  them  the 
fertilizing  spermatozoa  as  they  are  laid  by  the 
female. 

In  higher  orders  of  animals,  fecundation  takes 
place  within  the  generative  organs  of  the  female 
by  contact  between  the  male  and  the  female  organs. 
To  effect  this,  there  are  necessitated  certain  acces- 
sory organs,  the  penis  in  the  male  and  the  vagina 
in  the  female. 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


57 


Union  of  the  Elements.  Curious  Modes  of  Reproduction. 

Nothing  in  all  the  range  of  nature  is  more  re- 
markable than  the  adaptation  of  the  two  varieties 
of  sexual  organs  in  each  species.  This  necessary 
provision  is  both  a powerful  means  of  securing  the 
perpetuation  of  the  species,  and  an  almost  impassa- 
ble barrier  against  amalgamation. 

The  act  of  union,  or  sexual  congress,  is  called 
coitus  or  copulation.  It  is  accompanied  by  a 
peculiar  nervous  spasm  due  to  excitement  of  spe- 
cial nerves  principally  located  in  the  penis  in  the 
male,  and  in  an  extremely  sensitive  organ,  the 
clitoris,  in  the  female.  The  nervous  action  referred 
to  is  more  exhausting  to  the  system  than  any  othei' 
to  which  it  is  subject. 

Union  of  the  Ovum  and  Zcdsperm. — The  zoo- 
sperms not  only  come  in  contact  with  the  ovum, 
but  penetrate  the  thin  membrane  which  incloses 
its  contents,  and  enter  its  interior,  where  they  dis- 
appear, becoming  united  with  its  substance.  In 
the  ova  of  certain  fishes,  small  openings  have  been 
observed  through  which  the  spermatozoa  find  en- 
trance. Whether  such  openings  exist  in  human 
ova  is  an  undecided  question ; but  it  is  probable 
that  they  do. 

Carious  Modes  of  Reprodaction. — A peculiar 
kind  of  reproduction  is  observed  in  a variety  of 
polyp,  a curious  animal  which  very  much  resem- 
bles a shrub  in  appearance.  It  attaches  itself 
to  some  solid  object,  and  then,  as  it  grows,  sends 
out  little  protuberances  resembling  buds.  Some  of 


58 


FLAIN  FACTS  FOB, 


Eeproduction  in  Polyps.  Uiiniim  Beings  Are  Developed  Buds. 

these  sepad’ate  and  fall  ofl'.  swimming  about  as  sep- 
arate animals.  These  never  become  like  the  par- 
ent polyp ; but  they  lay  eggs,  which  hatch,  and  be- 
come stationary  polyps  like  their  grandparent,  and 
in  their  turn  throw  off  buds  to  form  swimming 
polyps.  In  this  case  we  have  two  kinds  of  gener- 
ation combined,  alternating  with  each  other. 

Plant-lice  afford  a curious  illustration  of  a sim- 
ilar generation.  Males  and  females  unite  and 
produce  eggs.  The  creatures  produced  by  the 
hatching  of  eggs  are  neither  males  nor  perfect 
females.  They  are  imperfect  females.  They  are 
all  alike,  so  that  no  sexual  union  occurs.  Instead 
of  laying  eggs,  they  produce  live  young  like  them- 
selves, which  appear  to  be  developed  from  internal 
buds  similar  to  the  external  buds  of  the  polyp. 
After  this  method  of  reproduction  has  continued 
for  eight  or  ten  generations,  a few  perfect  individ- 
uals appear,  and  the  first  process  is  repeated. 

The  common  honey-bee  affords  another  illustra- 
tion like  the  last.  A virgin  queen  sometimes  lays 
eggs,  which  always  produce  males,  or  drones. 
After  union  with  a male,  she  lays  eggs  in  the  royal 
cells  which  become  perfect  females  like  herself. 
She  also  seems  to  have  the  power  to  lay,  at  will, 
unfecundated  eggs,  from  which  drones,  are  pro- 
duced. 

Human  Beings  Are  Developed  Buds. — It  has 
been  very  aptly  suggested  by  an  eminent  physiolo- 
gist that  the  ovum  and  zodsperm  may  be  correctly 


OLD  AND  YOUNG.  59 

Fecundation  in  Hermaphrodites.  Development  of  the  Germ. 

considered  as  internal  buds.  Thus  it  would  appear 
that  generation  is  universally  a process  of  budding. 
A child  is  but  a compound  bud,  an  offshoot  from  its 
parents.  This  idea  is  not  a mere  fancy,  but  has  a 
scientific  basis.  As  all  the  exquisite  details  of  the 
most  beautiful  flower  are  in  essence  contained 
within  the  tiny  bud  which  first  makes  its  appear- 
ance, so  is  the  developed  human  being,  the  full- 
grown  man  or  woman,  virtually  contained  within 
the  tiny  cell  called  the  ovum 'after  it  has  been  im- 
pregnated or  fecundated  by  the  zoosperms.  In 
short,  men  and  women  are  blossoms  in  a strictly 
scientific  sense. 

Fecundation  in  Hermaphrodites. — The  proc- 
ess of  fecundation  in  hermaphrodite  animals  is 
very  peculiar.  In  some  cases,  as  in  the  snail,  the 
union  of  two  individuals  is  usually  necessary, 
though  each  possesses  both  kinds  of  organs.  In 
other  cases,  as  in  the  tape-worm,  the  oyster,  and 
numerous  other  mollusks,  a single  individual  has 
the  power  to  fertilize  its  own  ova,  thus  being 
wholly  independent.  Human  hermaphrodites  are 
usually  so  deformed  that  fecundation  is  not  ef- 
fected, which  is  a fortunate  safeguard  against  the 
multiplication  of  such  monstrosities.  < 

Development. — After  the  union  of  the  two  ele- 
ments, known  as  fecundation  or  conception,  if  the 
conditions  are  favorable,  development  occurs,  and 
the  little  germ  is  in  due  process  of  time  developed 
into  an  individual  which  is  an  exact  counterpart 


OLD  AND  TOUNQ. 


Cl 


Development  in  the  Higher  Animals.  The  Uterus. 

one,  and  fastens  them  upon  her  back,  observing 
great  regularity  in  arrangement.  These  several 
devices  are  evidently  for  the  purpose  of  protecting, 
in  some  degree,  the  young  individual  during  the 
helpless  stage  of  its- existence. 

Development  in  the  Higher  Animals  and 
Man. — Higher  animals  are  less  prolific,  and  their 
development  is  a more  complicated  process ; hence, 
their  young  need  greater  protection,  and,  for  this 
reason,  the  ova,  instead  of  being  discharged  from 
the  body  of  the  female  after  fecundation,  are  re- 
tained.* As  we  have  seen  that  a suitable  receptacle 
is  sometimes  provided  outside  of  the  body,  so  now 
a receptacle  is  needed,  and  is  provided  in  the  inte- 
rior of  the  body  of  the  female.  This  receptacle  is 
called 

The  Uterus. — This  is  a hollow,  pear-shaped  or- 
gan, located  in  the  median  line,  just  behind  the 
bladder,  between  it  and  the  rectum.  It  is  sup- 
ported in  place  by  various  ligaments  and  by  the 

* Curious  examples  of  internal  development  sometimes  occur  in 
animals  which  usually  deposit  eggs.  Snakes  have  been  known  to 
produce  both  eggs  and  living  young  at  the  same  time.  At  the  an- 
nual meeting  of  the  American  Society  for  the  Advancement  of 
Science,  at  Detroit,  Mich.,  in  August,  1875,  we  had  the  pleasure 
of  examining  a specimen,  exhibited  by  Prof.  Wilder,  of  a chick 
which  had  undergone  a considerable  degree  of  development  within 
the  ovary  of  the  hen.  It  had  a head,  a rudimentary  brain,  and , in- 
ternal viscera,  but  no  feathers  nor  limbs.  It  was,  in  fact,  an  egg 
hatched  before  it  had  been  laid.  The  anomaly  excited  much  in- 
terest at  that  time  and  since  among  biologists. 


62  PLAIN  FACTS  FOP 

Conception.  Uterine  Gestation 

juxtaposition  of  other  organs.  Its  larger  end  is 
directed  upward,  and  communicates  upon  each  side 
with  a very  narrow  tube  which  is  prolonged  out- 
ward on  either  side  until  it  nearly  touches  the 
ovary  of  the  same  side.  Its  lower  and  smaller  end 
fills  the  internal  extremity  of  the  passage  pre- 
viously described  as  the  vagina.  When  an  ovum 
is  matured,  it  escapes  from  the  ovaiy  into  the 
narrow  tube  referred  to,  called  the  Fallopian  tube, 
and  passes  down  into  the  cavity  of  the  uterus.  If 
fecundation  does  not  occur,  it  is  expelled  or  ab- 
sorbed after  six  to  twelve  or  fourteen  days.  If 
copulation  occurs,  however,  zodsperms  are  brought 
into  the  cavity  of  the  uterus,  and,  coming  in  con- 
tact with  the  ovum,  fecundate  it.  This  is  concep- 
tion. When  the  natural  process  is  allowed  to  pro- 
ceed, development  occurs. 

Uterine  Gestation. — This  is  the  term  applied 
to  the  process  last  referred  to.  We  shall  not  at- 
tempt to  describe  in  detail  this  most  wonderful 
and  intricate  of  all  living  processes ; but  will 
sketch  only  the  chief  points,  leaving  the  reader 
who  would  obtain  a more  complete  knowledge  of 
the  subject  to  consult  any  one  of  the  numerous 
physiological  and  obstetrical  works  which  deal 
with  it  in  a very  exhaustive  manner. 

As  soon  as  the  ovum  is  impregnated  by  the  male 
element,  it  begins  a process  of  symmetrical  di- 
vision. The  first  division  produces  two  cells  out 
of  the  single  one  which  first  existed.  By  the  next 


OLD  AND  YOUNQ.  QS 


The  Primitive  Trace.  Curious  Relation  to  Lower  Animals. 

division,  four  segments  are  produced ; then  eight, 
sixteen,  etc.  While  this  process  is  going  on,  the 
ovum  becomes  adherent  to  the  internal  wall  of  the 
uterus,  and  is  soon  enveloped  by  its  mucous  mem- 
brane, which  grows  up  about  and  incloses  it. 

The  Primitive  Trace. — When  the  process  of 
segmentation  has  advanced  to  a certain  point,  the 
cells  are  aggregated  together  in  a compact  layer 
at  the  surface.  Soon  a straight  line  appears  upon 
this  layer,  which  is  called  the  'primitive  trace. 
This  delicate  line  becomes  the  basis  for  the  spinal 
column;  and  upon  and  about  it  the  whole  individ-^ 
ual  is  developed  by  an  intricate  process  of  folding, 
dividing,  and  reduplication  of  the  layer  of  cells. 
One  end  of  the  line  becomes  the  head,  and  the 
other  becomes  the  tail.  Even  man  has  a caudal 
appendage  at  an  early  stage  of  his  existence.  Af- 
ter a further  lapse  of  time,  little  excrescences, 
buds,  or  “ pads,”  appear  in  the  proper  positions  to 
represent  the  arms  and  legs.  After  further  devel- 
opment the  ends  split  up  into  fingers  and  toes,  and 
by  the  continued  development  of  the  parts,  perfect 
arms  and  legs  are  formed. 

Curious  Relation  to  Lower  Animals. — It  is  a 
very  remarkable  fact  that  in  the  lower  animals  we 
have  numerous  examples  in  which  the  permanent 
condition  of  the  individual  is  the  same  as  some  one 
of  the  stages  through  which  man  passes  in  the 
process  of  development.  The  same  author  pre- 
viously quoted  makes  the  following  interesting 
statements : — 


64 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 


Simplicity  of  Early  otractiires.  Development  of  Organs. 

The  webbed  feet  of  the  seal  and  omitho- 
rhynchus  typify  the  period  when  the  hands  and 
feet  of  the  human  embiyo  are  as  yet  only  partly 
subdivided  into  fingers  and  toes.  Indeed,  it  is  not 
uncommon  for  the  ‘ web  ’ to  persist  to  some  extent 
between  the  toes  of  adults  ; and  occa.sionally  chil- 
dren are  born  with  two  or  more  finders  or  toes 
united  to  their  tips.  . 

“With  the  seal  and  the  walrus,  the  limbs  are  pro- 
truded but  little  beyond  the  wrist  and  ankle. 
With  the  ordinary  quadrupeds,  the  knee  and  el- 
bow are  visible.  The  cats,  the  lemurs,  and  the 
monkeys  form  a series  in  which  the  limbs  are  suc- 
cessively freed  from  the  trunk,  and  in  the  highest 
apes  they  are  capable  of  nearly  the  same  move- 
ments as  the  human  arm  and  leg,  which,  in  their 
development,  passed  through  all  these  stages.” 

Simplicity  of  Early  Structures. — The  first 
structures  formed  are  exceedingly  simple  in  form. 
It  is  only  by  slow  degrees  that  the  great  complic- 
ity which  characterizes  many  organs  is  finally 
attained.  For  example,  the  heart  is  at  first  only  a 
straight  tube.  By  enlargement  and  the  formation 
of  longitudinal  and  transverse  partitions,  the  fully 
developed  organ  is  finally  produced.  The  stomach 
and  intestines  are  also  at  first  but  a simple  straight 
tube.  The  stomach  and  large  intestine  are  formed 
by  dilatation ; and  by  a growth  of  the  tube  in 
length  while  the  ends  are  confined,  the  small  intes- 
tines are  formed.  The  other  internal  organs  are 
successively  developed  by  similar  processes. 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


65 


The  Stages  ot‘  Growth.  A Summary. 

The  Stages  of  Growth. — At  first  insignificant 
in  size — a simple  cell,  the  embryonic  human  being 
steadily  increases  in  size,  gradually  approximat- 
ing more  and  more  closely  to  the  human  form, 
until,  at  the  end  of  about  nine  calendar  months  or 
ten  lunar  months,  the  new  individual  is  prepared  to 
enter  the  world  and  begin  a more  independent 
course  of  life.  The  following  condensation  of  a 
summary  quoted  by  Dr.  Austin  Flint,  Jr.,  will  give 
an  idea  of  the  size  of  the  developing  Jbeing  at  dif- 
ferent periods,  and  the  rate  of  progress  : — 

At  the  end  of  the  third  week,  the  embryon  is  a 
little  less  than  one-fourth  of  an  inch  in  length. 

At  the  end  of  the  seventh  week,  it  is  three- 
fourths  of  an  inch  long.  The  liver,  lungs,  and 
other  internal  organs  are  partially  formed. 

At  the  eighth  week,  it  is  about  one  inch  in 
length.  It  begins  to  look  some  like  a human  be- 
ing, but  it  is  impossible  to  determine  the  sex. 

At  the  third  month,  the  embryon  has  attained 
the  length  of  two  to  two  and  one-half  inches.  Its 
weight  is  about  one  ounce. 

At  the  end  of  the  fourth  month,  the  embryon  is 
called  a fetus.  It  is  from  four  to  five  inches  long, 
and  weighs  five  ounces. 

At  the  fifth  month,  the  fetus  is  nearly  a foot 
long,  and  weighs  about  half  a pound. 

At  the  sixth  month,  the  average  length  of  the 
fetus  is  about  thirteen  inches,  and  its  weight  one 
and  a half  to  two  pounds.  If  bom,  life  could  con- 
tinue a few  minutes. 

5 


66  PLAIN  FACTS  FOP. 

Duration  of  Gestation.  Uterine  Life. 

At  the  seventh  month,  the  fetus  is  from  four- 
teen to  fifteen  inches  long,  and  weighs  two  to  three 
pounds.  It  is  now  viable  (may  live  if  born). 

At  the  eisfhth  month,  the  length  of  the  fetus  is 
from  fifteen  to  sixteen  inches,  and  its  weight  from 
three  to  four  pounds. 

At  the  ninth  month,  the  fetus  is  about  seven- 
teen inches  long,  and  weighs  from  five  to  six 
pounds. 

At  birth,  the  infant  weighs  a little  more  than 
seven  pounds,  the  usual  range  being  from  four  to 
ten  pounds,  though  these  limits  are  sometimes 
exceeded. 

Duration  of  Gestation. — The  length  of  time 
required  for  the  development  of  a human  being 
is  usually  reckoned  as  about  forty  weeks.  A 
more  precise  statement  places  it  at  about  two 
hundred  and  seventy-eight  days.  This  limit  is 
often  varied  from.  Cases  have  occurred  in  which 
a much  longer  time  has  been  required,  and  num- 
berless cases  have  occurred  in  which  human  beings 
have  been  born  several  weeks  before  the  expira- 
tion of  the  usual  time,  as  stated.  There  is  some 
uncertainty  respecting  the  exact  length  of  the  pe- 
riod of  gestation,  which  grows  out  of  the  difficidty 
of  determining,  in  many  cases,  the  exact  time  when 
conception  takes  place. 

Uterine  Life. — The  uterine  life  of  the  new  in- 
dividual begins  with  the  impregnation  of  the  ovum, 
which  occurs  the  instant  it  is  brought  in  contact 


OLD  AN'D  YOUNG. 


67 


Uespiration  of  Fetus.  The  Blood  the  Medium  of  lnliuo  .oe. 

with  the  zoosperms  of  the  male.  While  in  the 
uterus,  the  young  life  is  supported  wholly  hy  the 
mother.  She  is  obliged  to  provide  not  only  for  her 
own  sustenance,  hut  for  the  maintenance  of  her 
child.  And  she  must  not  only  eat  for  it,  but 
breathe  for  it  as  well,  since  it  requires  a constant 
and  adequate  supply  of  oxygen  before  birth  as 
much  as  afterward. 

How  the  Unborn  Infant  Breathes. — Oxygen 
and  nutriment  are  both  supplied  to  it  through  the 
medium  of  an  organ  called  the  placenta,  which  is  a 
spongy  growth  composed  almost  entirely  of  blood- 
vessels, and  is  developed  upon  the  inner  wall  of 
the  uterus,  at  the  point  at  which  the  ovum  at- 
taches itself  after  fecundation.  The  growing  fetus 
is  connected  with  this  vascular  organ  by  means  of 
a sort  of  cable,  called  the  umbilical  cord.  The 
cord  is  almost  entirely  composed  of  blood-vessels 
which  convey  the  blood  of  the  fetus  to  the  pla- 
centa and  return  it  again.  The  fetal  blood  does 
not  mix  with  that  of  the  mother,  but  receives  oxy- 
gen and  nourishment  from  it  by  absorption  through 
the  thin  walls  which  alone  separate  it  from  the 
mother’s  Wood. 

The  umbilical  cord  contains  no  nerves,  as  there 
is  no  nervous  connection  between  the  mother  and 
the  child.  The  only  way  in  which  the  child  can 
be  influenced  by  the  mother  is  through  the  me- 
dium of  the  blood,  to  changes  in  which  it  is  very 
susceptible,  as  we  shall  see  more  clearly  hereafter. 


68 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOB 


Parturition. 


Painless  Labors. 


The  cord  is  attached  to  the  body  of  the  child  at 
the  point  called  the  navel,  being  cut  oflf  at  birth  by 
the  accovxheur.  With  the  placenta,  it  is  expelled 
soon  after  the  birth  of  the  child,  and  constitutes 
the  shapeless  mass  familiarly  known  as  the  after- 
birth, by  the  retention  of  which  the  most  serious 
trouble  is  occasionally  caused. 

Parturition. — At  the  end  of  the  period  of  de- 
velopment, the  young  being  is  forcibly  expelled 
from  the  laboratory  of  nature  in  which  it  has  been 
formed.  In  other  words,  it  is  born ; and  this  proc- 
ess is  termed  parturition.  Though,  at  first  thought, 
such  an  act  would  seem  an  utter  impossibility,  yet 
it  is  a very  admirable  illustration  of  nature’s  adap- 
tation of  means  to  ends.  During  the  months  of 
gestation,  while  the  uterus  has  been  enlarging  to 
accommodate  its  daily  increasing  contents,  the  gen- 
emtive  passages  have  also  been  increasing  in  size 
and  becoming  soft  and  distensible,  so  that  a seem- 
ing impossibility  is  in  due  time  accomplished  with- 
out physical  damage,  though  possibly  not  without 
intense  suffering.  However,  it  is  a most  gratify- 
ing fact  that  modem  medical  science  may  do  much 
to  mitigate  the  pains  of  childbirth.  It  is  possible, 
by  a proper  course  of  preparation  for  the  expected 
event,  to  greatly  lessen  the  suffering  usually  under- 
gone ; and  some  ladies  assert  that  they  have  thus 
avoided  real  pain  altogether.  Although  the  cui-se 
pronounced  upon  the  feminine  part  of  the  i-ace,  in 
consequence  of  the  sin  of  Eve,  implies  suffering  in 


OLD  AND  TO  UNO. 


69 


Barbarian  Women.  Changes  in  the  Child  at  Birth. 

the  parturient  act,  yet  there  is  no  doubt  that  the 
greater  share  of  the  daughters  of  Eve  are,  through 
the  perverting  and  degenerating  influences  of 
wrong  habits  and  especially  of  modern  civilization, 
compelled  to  suffer  many  times  more  than  their 
maternal  ancestor.  We  have  sufficient  evidence  of 
this  in  the  fact  that  among  barbarian  women,  who 
are  generally  less  perverted  physically  than  civil- 
ized women,  childbirth  is  regarded  with  very  little 
apprehension,  since  it  occasions  little  pain  or  in- 
convenience. The  same  is  true  of  many  women 
among  the  lower  laboring  classes.  In  short,  while 
it  is  true  that  more  or  less  suffering  must  always 
accompany  the  parturient  act,  yet  the  excessive 
pain  usually  attendant  upon  the  process  is  the  re- 
sult of  causes  which  can  in  many  cases  be  removed 
by  proper  management  beforehand  and  at  the  time 
of  confinement. 

After  being  relieved  of  its  contents,  the  uterus 
and  other  organs  rapidly  return  to  nearly  their 
original  size. 

Changes  in  the  Child  at  Birth. — In  the  sys- 
tem of  the  child  a wonderful  change  occurs  at  the 
moment  of  its  expulsion  into  the  outer  world.  For 
the  first  time,  its  lungs  are  filled  with  air.  For 
the  first  time  they  receive  the  full  tide  of  blood. 
The  whole  course  of  the  circulation  is  changed,  and 
an  entirely  new  process  begins.  It  is  surprising  in 
how  short  a space  of  time  changes  so  marvelous 
can  be  wrou£rht. 


70  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Nursing.  Child  Influenced  through  the  Milk. 

Nursing. — The  process  of  development  is  not 
fully  complete  at  birth.  The  young  life  is  not  yet 
prepared  to  support  itself ; hence,  still  further  pro- 
vision is  necessary  for  it.  It  requires  prepared 
food  suited  to  its  condition.  This  is  provided  by 
the  mammcB,  or  breasts,  of  the  female,  which  are 
glands  for  secreting  milk.  The  fully  developed 
gland  is  peculiar  to  the  female ; but  a few  instances 
have  been  known  in  which  it  has  been  sufficiently 
developed  to  become  functionally  active  in  men,  as 
well  as  in  young  girls,  though  it  is  usually  inactive 
even  in  women  until  near  the  close  of  gestation. 
It  is  a curious  fact  that  the  breasts  of  a new-born 
child  occasionally  contain  milk. 

The  first  product  of  the  mammae  is  not  the 
proper  milk  secretion,  but  is  a yello\vish  fiuid 
called  colostrum.  The  true  milk  secretion  begins 
two  or  three  da5^s  after  delivery. 

The  lacteal  secretion  is  influenced  in  a very  re- 
markable manner  by  the  mental  conditions  of  the 
mother.  By  sudden  emotions  of  grief  or  anger,  it 
has  been  known  to  undergo  such  changes  as  to 
produce  in  the  child  a fit  of  indigestion,  vomiting, 
diarrhea,  and  even  convulsions  and  death.  Any 
medicine  taken  by  the  mother  finds  its  way  into 
the  milk,  and  often  afiects  the  delicate  system  of 
the  infant  more  than  herself.  This  fact  should  be 
a warning  to  those  nursing  mothers  who  use  stim- 
ulants. Cases  are  not  uncommon  in  which  delicate 
infants  are  kept  in  a state  of  intoxication  for 


OLD  AXD  YOUNG. 


.71  ■ 


Anatomy  of  Keproduction.  Male  Organs. 

weeks  by  the  use  of  alcoholic  drinks  by  the 
mother.  The  popular  notion  that  lager-beer,  ale, 
wine,  or  alcohol  in  any  other  form,  is  in  any 
degree  necessary  or  beneficial  to  a nursing  woman 
is  a great  error  which  cannot  be  too  often  noticed 
and  condemned.  Not  only  is  the  mother  injured, 
instead  of  being  benefited  by  such  a practice,  but 
great  injury,  sometimes  life-long  in  its  conse- 
quences, is  inflicted  upon  the  babe  at  her  breast 
who  takes  the  intoxicating  poison  at  second  hand, 
and  is  influenced  in  a fourfold  degree  from  its 
feebleness  and  great  susceptibility. 

Anatomy  of  the  Reproductive 
Organs. 

Having  now  considered  the  functions  and  some- 
what of  the  structures  of  the  principal  organs  of 
reproduction,  we  may  obtain  a more  definite  idea 
of  the  relation  of  the  several  organs  of  each  class 
by  a connected  review  of  the  anatomy  of  the  parts. 

Male  Organs. — As  previously  stated,  the  ex- 
ternal organs  of  generation  in  the  male  are  the 
penis  and  the  testicles,  the  latter  being  contained 
in  a pouch  called  the  scrotum.  The  penis  is  the 
organ  of  urination  as  well  as  copulation.  Its 
structure  is  cellular,  and  it  contains  a vast  number 
of  minute  coils  of  blood-vessels  which  become 
turgid  with  blood  under  the  influence  of  sexual 
excitement,  producing  distention  and  erection  of 


72 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOB. 


The  Seminal  Fluid. 


The  Prostate  Gland. 


the  organ.  A canal  passes  through  its  entire 
length,  called  the  urethra,  which  conveys  both  the 
urine  and  the  seminal  fluid.  The  organ  is  pro- 
tected by  a loose  covering  of  integument  which 
folds  over  the  end.  This  fold  is  called  the  fore- 
skin or  'prepuce.  ' 

The  fluid  formed  by  each  testicle  is  conveyed  by 
the  vas  deferens,  a curved  tube  about  two  feet  in 
length,  to  the  base  of  the  bladder.  Here  the  vas 
deferens  joins  with  another  duct  which  communi- 
cates with  an  elongated  pouch,  the  vesicula  senii- 
noMs,  which  lies  close  upon  the  under  side  of  the 
bladder.  The  single  tube  thus  formed,  the  ejacu- 
latory duct,  conveys  the  seminal  fluid  to  the  ure- 
thra, from  which  it  is  discharged. 

As  the  production  of  seminal  fluid  is  more  or 
less  constant  in  man  and  some  animals,  while  its 
discharge  is  intermittent,  the  vesiculte  seminales 
serve  as  reservoirs  for  the  fluid,  preserving  it  until 
required,  or  allowing  it  to  undergo  absorption. 
Some  claim  that  the  zobsperms  are  matured  in 
these  organs.  They  always  contain  seminal  fluid 
after  the  age  of  puberty.  During  coition,  their 
contents  are  forcibly  expelled  by  a spasmodic  con- 
traction of  the  muscles  which  surround  them  and 
the  ducts  leading  from  them. 

The  Prostate  Gland. — Surrounding  the  ejac- 
ulatory ducts  and  their  openings  into  the  urethra 
at  the  base  of  the  bladder  is  the  prostate  gland, 
which  produces  a peculiar  secretion  which  forms  a 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


73 


The  Utriculus.  Cowper’s  Glaada.  Female  Organs. 

considerable  portion  of  the  seminal  fluid,  being 
mingled  with  the  secretion  of  the  testes  during  its 
ejaculation.  This  gland  sometimes  becomes  the 
seat  of  somewhat  serious  disease.  In  old  age  it 
usually  becomes  somewhat  indurated,  and  often  to 
such  an  extent  as  to  seriously  affect  the  health  and 
comfort  of  the  individual  by  interference  with 
urination  and  by  occasioning  pain. 

Anterior  to  this  organ,  in  the  urethra,  is  a curi- 
ous little  pouch,  the  utriculus,  which  corresponds 
to  the  vagina  and  uterus  in  the  female.  Just  in 
front  of  the  prostate  gland  are  two  small  bodies 
known  as  Cou^per’s  glands.  They  secrete  a fluid 
which  combines  with  the  seminal  secretion. 

Female  Organs. — The  ovaries,  uterus,  or  womb, 
Fallopian  tubes,  and  vagina  have  already  been 
described  in  part.  The  external  organs  of  the  fe- 
male are  included  in  the  term  vulva  or  pudenda. 
The  most  superficial  parts  are  the  labia,  two  thick 
folds  of  integument.  Just  within  these  are  two 
thinner  folds,  the  labia  minora  or  nymphce. 
These,  together  with  the  clitoris,  situated  just 
above,  are  extremely  sensitive  organs,  being  the 
chief  seat  of  sexual  sense  in  the  female.  At  the 
lower  part  is  the  opening  to  the  vagina,  which  in 
the  virgin  is  usually  partially  guarded  by  a thin 
membrane,  the  hymen.  This  is  not  always  a re- 
liable test  of  virginity,  however,  as  commonly 
regarded,  since  it  may  be  destroyed  by  disease  or 


74  PLAIN  FACTS  FOB 

The  Vagina.  The  Fallopian  Tube.  Pabertj'. 

accident,  and  may  exist  even  after  the  occurrence 
of  pregnancy. 

The  vagina  extends  from  the  vulva  to  the  lower 
end  of  the  uterus,  which  it  incloses,  passing  between 
the  bladder  and  the  rectum.  The  lower  extremity 
of  the  uterus  presents  a small  opening  which  leads 
into  its  interior.  Upon  either  side,  at  its  upper 
and  larger  end,  is  a minute  opening,  the  mouth  of 
the  Fallopian  tube.  The  latter  organs  extend  from 
the  uterus  outward  nearly  to  the  ovaries,  toward 
which  they  present  a number  of  small  filaments, 
one  of  which  is  in  contact  with  each  ovary.  These 
filaments,  together  with  the  interior  of  the  tubes, 
are  covered  with  a peculiar  kind  of  cells,  upon  which 
are  minute  cilia,  or  hairs,  in  constant  motion.  Veiy 
curiously,  they  all  move  in  the  same  direction, 
toward  the  cavity  of  the  uterus.  When  an  ovum 
escapes  from  the  ovary  in  connection  with  menstru- 
ation, it  is  by  these  delicate  hairs  propelled  along 
a filament  of  tissue  to  the  Fallopian  tube,  and  thence 
by  the  same  means  is  conveyed  to  the  uterus.  It 
may  come  in  contact  with  the  zoosperms  at  any 
point  between  the  ovary  and  the  lower  orifice  of 
the  uterus,  and  thus  undergo  fecundation. 

Puberty. — For  a certain  period  after  birth,  the 
sexual  organs  remain  in  a partially  developed  con- 
dition. This  period  varies  in  duration  with  difler- 
ent  animals ; in  some  cases  being  very  brief,  in  oth- 
ers, comprising  several  years.  Upon  the  attainment 
of  a certain  age,  the  individual  becomes  sexually 


OLD  d.NB  fOUi/G. 


i o 

Influence  of  Climate  on  Puberty.  Other  Causes  which  Affect  Puberty. 

perfect,  and  is  then  capable  of  the  generative  act. 
This  period  is  called  puberty.  In  man,  puberty 
commonly  occurs  between  the  ages  of  ten  and  fif- 
teen years,  varying  considerably  in  different  cli- 
mates. In  this  country,  and  in  other  countries  of 
about  the  same  latitude,  puberty  usually  occurs  at 
the  age  of  fourteen  or  fourteen  and  one-half  years 
in  females,  and  a few  months  later  in  males.  In 
cooler  climates,  as  in  Norway  and  Siberia,  the 
change  is  delayed  to  the  age  of  eighfeen  or  nine- 
teen years.  In  tropical  climates  it  is  hastened,  oc- 
curring as  early  as  nine  or  ten  years.  In  warm 
climates  it  is  no  uncommon  thing  for  a girl  to  be  a 
mother  at  twelve ; and  it  is  stated  that  one  of  the 
wives  of  Mahomet  was  a mother  at  ten. 

Other  causes  besides  climate  tend  to  hasten  the 
occurrence  of  this  change,  as  habits,  temperament, 
constitutional  tendency,  education,  and  idiosyncrasy. 

Habits  of  vigorous  physical  exercise  tend  to  de- 
lay the  access  of  puberty.  For  this  reason,  together 
with  others,  country  boys  and  girls  generally  ma- 
ture later  than  those  living  in  the  city  by  several 
months,  and  even  a year  or  two.  Anything  that 
tends  to  excite  the  emotions  hastens  puberty.  The 
excitements  of  city  life,  parties,  balls,  theaters,  even 
the  competition  of  students  in  school,  and  the  vari- 
ous causes  of  excitement  to  the  nervous  system 
which  occur  in  city  life,  have  a tendency  to  hasten 
the  occurrence  of  the  change  which  awakens  the 
sexual  activities  of  the  system  into  life.  Hence, 


76  PLAIN  FACTS  FOE 

Influence  of  Diet  on  Puberty.  Proper  Articles  of  Diet. " 

these  influences  cannot  but  be  considered  prejudi- 
cial to  the  best  interests  of  the  individual,  mentally, 
morally,  and  physically,  since  it  is  in  every  way 
desirable  that  a change  which  arouses  the  pas- 
sions and  gives  to  them  greater  intensity  should 
be  delayed  rather  than  hastened. 

Influence  of  Diet  on  Puberty. — The  dietary 
has  a not  unimportant  influence  in  this  respect. 
Stimulating  food,  such  as  peppei',  vinegar,  mustard, 
spices,  and  condiments  generally,  together  with  tea 
and  coSee,  and  an  excess  of  animal  food,  have  a 
clearly  appreciable  influence  in  inducing  the  pre- 
mature occurrence  of  puberty.  On  this  account,  if 
on  no  other,  should  these  articles  be  prohibited  to 
children  and  youth,  or  used  very  sparingly.  Those 
who  advocate  the  large  use  of  meat  by  children  and 
youth  have  not  studied  this  matter  closely  in  all 
its  bearings.  While  it  is  true  that  children  and 
growing  youth  require  an  abundance  of  the  nitrog- 
enous elements  of  food  which  are  found  abun- 
dantly in  beefsteak,  mutton,  flsh,  and  other  varie- 
ties of  animal  food,  it  is  also  true  that  in  taking 
those  articles  of  food  they  take  along  with  the  nu- 
trient elements  properties  of  a stimulating  charac- 
ter, which  exert  a decidedly  detrimental  influence 
upon  the  susceptible  systems  of  children  and  youth. 

At  the  same  time,  it  is  possible  to  obtain  the  same 
desirable  nitrogenous  elements  in  oatmeal,  unbolted 
wheat  flour,  peas,  beans,  and  other  vegetable  pro- 
ductions, which  are  wholly  free  from  injurious 

OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


77 


Caution  in  Kegard  to  Diet.  Brunettes  Naturally  Precocious. 

properties.  We  are  positive  from  numerous  obser- 
vations on  this  subject,  that  a cool,  unstimulating, 
vesretable  or  farinaceous  diet  would  deter  the  de- 

o 

velopment  of  the  sexual  organism  for  several 
months,  and  perhaps  for  a year  or  two. 

While  it  might  not  be  in  all  cases  desirable  to 
do  this,  it  would  at  least  be  wise  to  adopt  such 
measures  in  cases  in  which  the  child  is  unavoida- 
bly exposed  to  influences  which  have  a tendency 
to  hasten  the  change. 

It  is  important  to  add  in  this  connection  a word 
of  caution  against  the  adoption  of  a dietary  too 
abstemious  in  character.  It  is  necessary  that  an 
abundance  of  good,  wholesome  food,  rich  in  the 
elements  of  nutrition,  should  be  taken  regularly. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  many  young  ladies  have 
induced  conditions  of  serious  disease  by  actual 
starvation  of  the  system.  A young  woman  who 
attempts  to  live  on  strong  tea  or  coSee,  fine-flour 
bread,  and  sweet  cake,  is  as  certainly  starving  her- 
self as  though  she  were  purposely  attempting  to 
commit  suicide  by  means  of  starvation,  and  with  as 
much  certainty  of  the  same  result. 

Brunettes  Naturally  Precocious. — It  has  been 
observed  that  in  girls  the  occurrence  of  puberty  is 
earlier  in  brunettes  than  in  blondes ; and  in  gen- 
eral it  makes  its  appearance  earlier  in  persons  of  a 
nervous  or  nervo-bilious  temperament,  than  in  per- 
sons of  a lymphatic  temperament  or  phlegmatic 
nature. 


78  FLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Rsniarkable  Prevocit}'.  Premature  Development.  Early  Decay. 

Certain  nationalities  and  families  are  marked  by 
the  earlier  occurrence  of  puberty  than  in  others. 
In  Jews,  the  change  is  commonly  a year  or  two  in 
advance  of  other  nationalities  in  this  country.  It 
also  occurs  somewhat  sooner  in  negroes  and  creoles 
than  in  white  persons,  the  African  race  seeming  to 
retain  something  of  the  precocity  occasioned  by 
the  tropical  influence  of  its  native  clime. 

Remarkable  Precocity. — Cases  occasionally  oc- 
cur in  which  puberty  makes  its  appearance  at  the 
age  of  three  or  four  years.  Indeed,  a case  has 
been  reported  in  this  country  in  which  a female 
child  possessed  all  the  characteristics  which  are 
usually  developed  at  puberty,  from  biidh.  In  this 
case  the  regular  periodical  changes  began  at  birth. 

Premature  Development  Occasions  Early  De- 
cay.— A fact  which  is  of  too  great  importance  to 
allow  to  pass  unnoticed,  is  that  whatever  occasions 
early  or  premature  sexual  development,  also  occa- 
sions premature  decay.  Females  in  whom  puberty 
occurs  at  the  age  of  ten  or  twelve,  by  the  time 
their  age  is  doubled,  are  shriveled  and  Avrinkled 
with  age.  At  the  time  when  they  should  be  in 
their  prime  of  health  and  beauty,  they  are  prema- 
turely old  and  broken.  Those  women  who  mature 
late  retain  their  beauty  and  their  strength  many 
years  after  their  precocious  sisters  have  become 
old,  decrepit,  and  broken  down.  Thus,  the  ma- 
trons of  thirty  and  forty  j'ears  in  colder  climates 
are  much  more  attractive  in  appearance  than  the 


OLD  AND  YOUNG.  79 

Early  Puberty  a Cause  for  Anxiety.  Changes  which  Occur  at  Puberty. 

maidens  of  sixteen ; while  quite  the  reverse  is  true 
in  this  and  other  countries  where  sexual  develop- 
ment is  unduly  hastened. 

Early  Puberty  a Cause  for  Anxiety. — The  un- 
naturally early  appearance  of  puberty  is  a just 
cause  for  apprehension,  since  it  usually  indicates 
an  inherent  weakness  of  the  constitution.  When 
there  are  reasons  for  fearing  its  occurrence,  active 
measures  should  be  taken  to  occasion  delay  if  pos- 
sible. We  call  especial  attention  to  this  point, 
since  there  are  many  who  erroneously  suppose  the 
early  occurrence  of  puberty  to  be  a sign  of  su- 
perior vigor. 

Changes  which  Occur  at  Puberty.  — The 
changes  which  occur  in  the  two  sexes  at  this  pe- 
riod have  been  thus  described : — 

“ In  both  sexes,  hair  grows  on  the  skin  covering 
the  symphysis  pubis,  around  the  sexual  organs, 
and  in  the  axillte  (armpits).  In  man,  the  chest 
and  shoulders  broaden,  the  larynx  enlarges,  and 
the  voice  becomes  lower  in  pitch  from  the  elonga- 
tion of  the  vocal  cords ; hair  grows  upon  the  chin, 
upper  lip,  and  cheeks,  and  often  exists  upon  the 
general  surface  of  the  body  more  abundantly  than 
in  woman.”  The  sexual  organs  undergo  enlarge- 
ment, and  are  more  frequently  excited.  The  tes- 
ticles first  begin  the  secretion  of  the  seminal  fluid. 

“ In  woman,  the  pelvis  and  abdomen  enlarge, 
but  the  whole  frame  remains  more  slender,  the 
muscles  and  joints  less  prominent,  the  limbs  more 

L 


so  PLAIN  PACTS  FOP 

Liability  of  Derangement.  Suggestions  Concerning  Treatment. 

rounded  and  tapering  [than  in  the  male].  Locally, 
both  external  and  internal  organs  undergo  a con- 

O O 

siderable  and  rapid  enlargement.  The  mammae 
enlarge,  the  ovarian  vesicles  become  dilated,  and 
there  is  established  a periodical  discharge  of  one  or 
more  ova,  accompanied,  in  most  cases,  by  a san- 
guineous fluid  from  the  cavity  of  the  uterus. 

These  changes,  so  varied  and  extraordinary, 
often  occur  within  a very  short  space  of  time ; and 
as  they  are  liable  to  serious  derangement,  espe- 
cially in  the  female,  great  care  should  be  taken  to 
secure  for  the  individual  the  most  favorable  condi- 
tions until  they  are  successfully  effected.  It  is, 
however,  a fact  deserving  of  mention,  that  many 
of  the  ills  which  are  developed  at  this  particular 
period  are  quite  as  much  the  result  of  previous 
indiscretions  and  mismanagement  as  of  any  imme- 
diate cause.  A few  suggestions  with  regard  to 
the  proper  treatment  of  individuals  at  this  age 
may  be  in  place. 

1.  Do  not  allow  the  boy  or  girl  to  be  over- 
worked, either  mentally  or  physically.  Great  and 
important  changes  are  occurring  within  the  body, 
and  nature  should  not  be  overtaxed. 

2.  Keep  the  mind  occupied.  While  excessive 
labor  should  be  avoided,  idleness  should  be  as  care- 
fully shunned.  Some  light,  useful  employment  or 
harmless  amusement — better  some  kind  of  work — 
should  keep  the  mind  fully  occupied  with  whole- 
some subjects. 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


81 


Watch  Carefully  the  Associations.  Menstruation. 

3.  Abundant  exercise  out-of-doors  is  essential  for 
both  sexes.  Sunshine  and  fresh  air  are  as  nec- 
essary to  the  development  of  a human  being  as  for 
the  expanding  of  a flower  bud. 

4.  Watch  carefully  the  associations  of  the  youth. 
This  should  be  done  at  all  times,  but  especially 
just  at  the  critical  period  in  question,  when  the 
general  physical  disturbances  occurring  in  the  sys- 
tem react  upon  the  mind  and  make  it  peculiarly 
susceptible  to  influences,  especially  those  of  an  evil 
character. 

5.  None  too  much  care  can  be  exercised  at  this 
important  epoch  of  human  life,  provided  it  is  prop- 
erly applied ; but  nothing  could  be  more  disastrous 
in  its  consequences  than  a weak  solicitude  which 
panders  to  every  whim  and  gratifles  every  per- 
verted appetite.  Sv/ih  care  is  a fatal  error. 

Menstruation. — The  functional  changes  which 
occur  in  the  female  are  much  more  marked  than 
those  of  the  male.  As  already  intimated,  the  peri- 
odical development  and  discharge  of  an  ovum  by 
the  female,  which  occurs  after  puberty,  is  accom- 
panied by  the  discharge  of  a bloody  fluid,  which  is 
known  as  the  jiowers,  menses,  or  catamenia.  The 
accompanying  symptoms  together  are  termed  the 
process  of  menstruation,  or  being  umvell.  This 
usually  occurs,  in  the  human  female,  once  in  about 
four  weeks.  In  special  cases,  the  interval  may  be 
a week  less  or  a week  longer ; or  the  variation 
may  be  even  greater.  Dalton  describes  the  proc- 
ess as  follows : — 

6 


82  PLAIN  FACTS  FOB 

Premonitory  Symptoms.  Duration  of  Menstrual  Period. 

“ When  the  expected  period  is  about  to  come  on, 
the  female  is  affected  by  a certain  degree  of  dis- 
comfort and  lassitude,  a sense  of  weight  in  the 
pelvis,  and  more  or  less  disinclination  to  society. 
These  symptoms  are  in  some  cases  slightly  pro- 
nounced, in  others  more  troublesome.  An  unusual 
discharge  of  vaginal  mucus  then  begins  to  take 
place,  which  soon  becomes  yellowish  or  rusty 
brown  in  color,  from  the  admixture  of  a certain 
proportion  of  blood ; and  by  the  second  or  third 
day,  the  discharge  has  the  appearance  of  nearly 
pure  blood.  The  unpleasant  sensations  which 
were  at  first  manifest,  then  usually  subside ; and 
the  discharge,  after  continuing  for  a certain  period, 
begins  to  grow  more  scanty.  Its  color  changes 
from  a pure  red  to  a brownish  or  rusty  tinge,  until 
it  finally  disappears  altogether,  and  the  female  re- 
turns to  her  ordinary  condition.” 

The  menstrual  function  continues  active  from 
puberty  to  about  the  forty-fifth  year,  or  during  the 
period  of  fertility.  When  it  finally  disappears,  the 
woman  is  no  longer  capable  of  bearing  children. 
The  time  of  disappearance  is  termed  the  “ change, 
of  life,”  or  menopause.  Exceptional  cases  occur  in 
which  this  period  is  greatly  hastened,  arriving  as 
, early  as  the  thirty-fifth  year,  or  even  earlier.  In- 
• ; stances  have  also  been  observed  in  which  menstru- 
i ation  continued  as  late  as  the  sixtieth  year,  and 
even  later ; but  such  cases  are  very  rare ; and  if 
procreation  occurs,  the  progeny  is  feeble  and  senile. 

, 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


83 


Nature  of  Menstruation.  Discharge  of  the  Ovum. 

With  rare  exceptions,  the  function  is  suspended 
during  pregnancy,  and  usually,  also,  during  the 
period  of  nursing. 

Nature  of  Menstruation. — There  has  been  a 
great  amount  of  speculation  concerning  the  cause 
and  nature  of  the  menstrual  process.  No  entirely 
satisfactory  conclusions  have  been  reached,  how- 
ever, except  that  it  is  usually  accompanied  by  the 
maturation  and  expulsion  from  the  ovary  of  an 
ovum,  which  is  termed  ovulation.  But  menstrua- 
tion may  occur  without  ovulation,  and  vice  versa. 

Menstruation  is  not  peculiar  to  the  human  fe- 
male, being  represented  in  the  higher  animals  by 
what  is  familiarly  termed  the  “ rut.”  This  is  not 
usually  a bloody  discharge,  however,  as  in  the  hu- 
man female,  though  such  a discharge  has  been 
observed  in  the  monkey. 

It  has  been  quite  satisfactorily  settled  that  the 
discharge  of  the  ovum  from  the  ovary  generally 
takes  place  about  the  time  of  the  cessation  of  the 
flow.  Immediately  after  the  discharge,  the  sexual 
desires  of  the  female  are  more  intense  than  at  other 
times.  This  fact  is  particularly  manifest  in  lower 
animals.  The  following  remark  by  Prof.  Dalton  is 
especially  significant  to  those  who  care  to  appre- 
ciate its  bearing : — 

“ It  is  a remarkable  fact,  in  this  connection,  that 
the  female  of  these  [domestic]  animals  will  allow 
the  approaches  of  the  male  only  during  and  imme- 
diately after  the  oestrual  period  [rut] ; that  is,  just 


84 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 


A Critical  Period.  Important  Hints, 

■when  tlie  egg  is  recently  discharged,  and  ready  for 
impregnation.  At  other  times,  when  sexual  inter- 
course would  be  necessarily  fruitless,  the  instinct 
of  the  animal  leads  her  to  avoid  it ; and  the  con- 
course of  the  sexes  is  accordingly  made  to  corre- 
spond in  time  with  the  maturity  of  the  egg  and  its 
aptitude  for  fecundation.” 

The  amount  of  fluid  lost  during  the  menstrual 
flow  varies  greatly  "with  diflerent  individ'uals.  It  is 
estimated  at  from  three  ounces  to  half  a pint.  In 
cases  of  deranged  function,  it  may  he  much  greater 
than  this.  It  is  not  all  blood,  however,  a consider- 
able portion  being  mucus.  It  is  rather  difficult  to 
understand  why  the  discharge  of  so  considerable  a 
quantity  of  blood  is  required.  There  is  no  benefit 
derived  from  a very  copious  discharge,  as  some 
suppose.  Facts  seem  to  indicate  that  in  general 
those  enjoy  the  best,  health  who  lose  but  small 
quantities  of  blood  in  this  manner. 

A Critical  Period. — As  the  first  occurrence  of 
menstruation  is  a very  critical  period  in  the  life  of 
a female,  and  as  each  recurrence  of  the  function 
renders  her  especially  susceptible  to  morbid  influ- 
ences, and  liable  to  serious  derangements,  a few 
hints  respecting  the  proper  care  of  an  individual 
at  these  periods  may  be  acceptable. 

Important  Hints. — 1.  Avoid  taking  cold.  To 
do  this,  it  is  necessary  to  avoid  exposure  ; not  that 
a person  must  be  constantly  confined  in  a warm 
room,  for  such  a course  would  be  the  surest  way  in 


OLB  AND  YOUNG. 


85 


How  to  Prevent  Colds.  Best  during  Menstruation, 

which  to  increase  the  susceptibility  to  cold.  Noth- 
ing will  disturb  the  menstrual  process  more  quickly 
than  a sudden  chilling  of  the  body  when  in  a state 
of  perspiration,  or  after  confinement  in  a warm 
room,  by  exposure,  without  sufficient  protection,  to 
cold  air.  A daily  bath  and  daily  exercise  in  the 
open  air  are  the  best  known  means  of  preventing 
colds. 

2.  Intense  mental  excitement,  as  well  as  severe 
physical  labor,  is  to  be  sedulously  avoided  during 
this  period.  At  the  time  of  its  first  occurrence, 
special  care  should  be  observed  in  this  direction. 
Intense  study,  a fit  of  anger,  sudden  grief,  or  even 
great  merriment,  will  sometimes  arrest  the  process 
prematurely.  The  feeling  of  malaise  which  usu- 
ally accompanies  the  discharge  is  by  nature  in- 
tended as  a warning  that  rest  and  quiet  are  re- 
quired ; and  the  hint  should  be  followed.  Every 
endeavor  should  be  made  to  keep  the  individual 
comfortable,  calm,  and  cheerful.  Feelings  of  ap- 
prehension arising  from  a continual  watching  of 
symptoms  are  very  depressing,  and  should  be 
avoided  by  occupying  the  mind  in  some  agreeable 
manner  not  demanding  severe  efibrt,  either  mental 
or  physical. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  many  young  women  have 
permanently  injured  their  constitutions  while  at 
school  by  excessive  mental  taxation  during  the 
catamenial  period,  to  which  they  were  prompted 
by  ambition  to  excel,,  or  were  compelled  by  the 


80  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

’v^'hy  Young  Women  Break  Down.  Custom  of  Indian  W^omen. 

“ cramming  ” system  too  generally  pursued  in  our 
schools,  and  particularly  in  young  ladies’  semina- 
ries. It  is  not  to  be  supposed,  however,  that  the 
moderate  amount  of  sound  study  required  by  a 
correct  system  of  teaching  would  be  injurious  to  a 
healthy  young  woman  at  any  time,  and  we  have 
no  doubt  that  a very  large  share  of  the  injury 
which  has  been  attributed  to  over-study  during  the 
catamenia  has  been  induced  by  other  causes,  such' 
as  improper  dress,  exposure  to  taking  cold,  keep- 
ing late  hours,  and  improper  diet. 

If  there  is  any  class  of  persons  deserving  of  pity 
it  is  that  large  class  of  girls  and  young  women  who 
are  in  every  large  city  employed  as  clerks,  seam- 
stresses, flower  makers,  and  in  other  taxing  and 
confining  occupations.  In  order  to  keep  their  sit- 
uations they  are  required  to  he  on  hand  daily, 
being  allowed  no  opportunity  for  rest  at  the  men- 
strual period.  In  many  cases,  too,  they  are  com- 
pelled to  remain  upon  their  feet  all  day  behind  a 
counter,  or  at  a work  table,  even  at  periods  when 
a recumbent  position  is  actually  demanded  h}^  nat- 
ure.^ There  shoidd  he  less  delicacy  in  relation  to 
this  subject  on  the  part  of  young  women,  and  more 
consideration  on  the  part  of  employers.  Here  is  a 
field  for  philanthropic  efibrt  which  is  well  worthy 
of  the  best  efi'orts  of  any  person  of  influence  who 
will  engage  in  it. 

Custom  of  Indian  Women.— The  ease  with 
which  Indian  women  perform  the  parturient  act  is 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


87 


Hebrew  Women,  Results  of  Recklessness. 

proverbial.  They  suffer  scarcely  at  all  from  the 
pains  of  childbirth ; and  without  doubt  one  reason 
of  this  is  the  preservation  of  their  sexual  health  by 
rest  during  the  menstrual  period.  At  those  seasons 
they  invariably  absent  themselves  from  the  lodge, 
and  enjoy  absolute  rest.  We  may  readily  suppose, 
from  the  nature  of  some  of  the  Mosaic  laws,  that  a 
custom  somewhat  similar  prevailed  among  the  an- 
cient Hebrew  women.  If  the  hardy  women  of  the 
forest  are  benefited  by  rest,  certainly  our  more  del- 
icate females  may  be  thus  benefited.  All  need  a 
degree  of  rest ; with  some  it  should  be  absolute. 

The  reckless  manner  in  which  some  young 
women  treat  themselves  at  the  menstrual  period,  is 
quite  appalling  to  one  who  is  acquainted  with  the 
painful  and  inveterate  character  of  the  evils  which 
arise  from  such  abuse.  It  is  no  uncommon , thing 
for  young  ladies  to  attend  balls,  visit  skating  rinks, 
and  otherwise  expose  themselves  to  the  influences 
in  every  way  the  best  calculated  to  do  them  the 
most  harm  at  this  particular  period,  observing- not 
the  slightest  precaution.  Such  recklessness  is  really 
criminal;  and  the  sad  consequences  of  physical 
transgression  are  sure  to  follow.  A young  lady  who 
allows  herself  to  get  wet  or  chilled,  or  gets  the  feet 
wet,  just  prior  to  or  during  menstruation,  runs  the 
risk  of  imposing  upon  herself  life-long  injury. 
Mothers  should  look  carefully  after  their  daughters 
at  these  periods,  and  impress  upon  them  the  impor- 
tance of  special  care. 


88 


FLAIIf  FACTS  FOR 


Health  Hints.  Obey  the  Demands  of  Nature. 

3.  A third  hint,  which  is  applicable  to  both  sexes 
and  at  all  times,  is  the  necessity  of  attending 
promptly  to  the  demands  of  nature  for  relief  of  the 
bowels  and  bladder.  School-girls  are  often  very 
negligent  in  this  respect ; and  we  have  seen  the 
most  distressing  cases  of  disease  which  were  en- 
tirely attributable  to  this  disregard  of  the  prompt- 
ings of  nature.  Obstinate  constipation  and  chronic 
irritation  of  the  bladder  are  common  effects.  When 
constipation  results,  purgatives  in  the  shape  of  pills, 
salts,  or  “ pleasant  purgative  pellets,”  are  resorted 
to  with  the  certain  result  of  producing  only  tem- 
porary relief,  and  permanent  damage. 

To  escape  these  evil  consequences,  do  this : 1. 
Establish  a regular  habit  of  relieving  the  bowels 
daily  at  a certain  hour ; 2.  Discard  laxative  and 
cathartic  drugs  of  every  kind;  3.  To  aid  in  secur-- 
ing  a regular  movement  of  the  bowels,  make  a 
liberal  use  of  oatmeal,  wheat-meal,  fruit,  and  veg- 
etables, avoiding  fine-flour  bread,  sweetmeats,  and 
condiments ; 4.  Take  daily  exercise,  as  much  as 
possible  short  of  fatigue ; if  necessarily  confined  in- 
doors, counteract  the  constipating  influence  of  sed- 
entary habits  by  kneading  and  percussing  the 
bowels  with  the  hands  several  minutes  each  day ; 
b.  Never  resist  the  calls  of  nature  a single  moment, 
if  possible  to  avoid  it.  In  this  case,  as  in  numer- 
ous others,  “ delay  is  dangerous.”  Ladies  who  de- 
sire a sweet  breath — and  what  lady  does  not — 
should  remember  that  retained  feces  are  one  of  the 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


89 


Cause  of  Foul  Breath.  XJnhealthful  Dress. 

most  frequent  causes  of  foul  breath.  The  foul  odors 
which  ought  to  pass  out  through  the  bowels  find 
their  way  into  the  blood  and  escape  at  the  lungs. 
A medical  man  whose  sense  of  smell  is  delicate  soon 
learns  to  know  a constipated  person  by  the  breath. 
As  one  says,  “What  is  more  offensive  than  the 
breath  of  a costive  child  ? ” 

Boerhaave,  a famous  old  Dutch  physician,  left 
to  his  heirs  an  elegantly  bound  volume  in  which, 
he  claimed,  were  written  all  the  secrets  of  the  sci- 
ence of  physic.  After  his  death,  the  wonderful 
book  was  opened,  when  it  was  found  to  contain 
only  the  following  sentence  : — 

“ Keep  the  head  cool,  the  feet  warm,  and  the 
bowels  open.” 

An  old  Scotch  physician  once  gave  the  following- 
advice  to  Sir  Astley  Cooper  for  the  preservation  of 
health : — 

“ Keep  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  and  your  bowels 
open.” 

4.  Perhaps  nothing  tends  more  directly  to  the 
production  of  menstrual  derangements — as  well  as 
uterine  diseases  of  every  sort — than  fashionable 
modes  of  dress.  We  have  not  space  here  to  give  to 
the  subject  the  attention  it  deserves ; it  will  be 
found  treated  of  in  works  devoted  to  the  subject 
of  dress  exclusively.  Some  of  the  most  glaring 
evils  are, — 

(1)  Unequal  distribution  of  clothing.  The  trunk, 
especially  the  abdomen  and  pelvis,  is  covered  with 


90  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Protection  of  the  Limbs.  Tight  Lacing. 

numerous  layers  of  clothing,  an  extra  amount  being 
caused  by  the  overlapping  of  the  upper  and  lower 
garments.  Very  frequently,  the  amount  of  cloth- 
ing upon  these,  the  most  vital  parts,  is  excessive. 
At  the  same  time,  the  limbs  are  sometimes  almost  in 
a state  of  nudity.  A single  cotton  garment,  or  at 
most  one  of  thin  flannel,  is  the  only  protection  af- 
forded to  the  limbs  beneath  the  skirts,  which  often 
serve  no  better  purpose  than  to  collect  cold  air  and 
retain  it  in  contact  with  the  limbs.  A thin  stocking 
is  the  only  protection  for  the  ankles,  and  a thin 
shoe  is  the  only  additional  covering  afforded  the 
feet.  Under  such  circumstances,  it  is  no  wonder 
that  a woman  catches  cold  if  she  only  steps  out- 
of-doors  on  a chilly  or  damp  day. 

(2)  Another  glaring  fault  is  in  the  manner  of 
suspending  the  skirts.  Instead  of  being  fastened 
to  a waist  or  suspended  so  as  to  give  them  support 
from  the  shoulders,  they  are  hung  upon  the  hips, 
l)eiug  drawn  tight  at  the  waist  to  secure  support. 
By  this  means,  the  organs  of  the  pelvis  are  pressed 
down  out  of  place.  The  uterus  becomes  congested, 
and  painful  menstrual  derangements  ensue. 

(3)  Tight  lacing,  or  compressing  the  waist  with 
a corset,  is  a barbarous  practice  which  produces 
the  same  ^results  as  the  one  last  mentioned.  Re- 
form in  all  of  these  particulars  is  an  imperative 
necessity  for  every  woman  who  desires  to  secure 
or  retain  sexual  health. 

It  is  of  the  greatest  importance  that  carefu! 


OLD  AND  YOUNG,  91 

Beginning  of  Menstruation.  Menorrhagia. 

attention  should  be  given  to  the  proper  establish- 
ment of  the  menstrual  function  at  the  outset  of  a 
woman’s  life  of  sexual  activity.  The  first  two 
years  will  be  quite  likely  to  have  a deciding  influ- 
ence respecting  her  health  during  her  whole  future 
life.  If  a woman  can  get  through  the  first  two 
years  after  puberty  without  acquiring  any  serious 
uterine  or  ovarian  disease,  she  will  stand  a good 
chance  of  enjoying  a good  degree  of  sexual  health 
during  the  balance  of  her  life.  The  foundation  of 
a great  share  of  the  many  thousands  of  cases  of 
uterine  disease  is  laid  during  this  period. 

At  this  early  period  the  daughter  is  usually  too 
young  to  appreciate  the  importance  of  observing 
slight  deviations  from  the  standard  of  health,  even 
if  .she  were  able  to  recognize  them.  Hence  it  is  a 
duty  which  no  mother  should  neglect,  to  inquire 
into  the  exact  frequency  of  the  periods,  the  amount 
and  character  of  the  discharge,  and  other  points 
necessary  to  ascertain  whether  or  not  there  is  any 
deviation  from  the  natural  condition  of  health.  If 
there  is  pain,  it  is  a certain  evidence  of  something 
seriously  wrong.  If  there  is  irregularity  in  any 
particular,  it  is  a matter  well  deserving  of  serious 
attention. 

Menorrhagia. — This  condition  is  that  in  which 
there  is  a too  profuse  discharge  of  blood.  The 
system  is  weakened  by  the  loss,  and,  so  much  so, 
in  many  cases,  that  the  individual  does  not  recover 
her  accustomed  strength  before  the  occurrence  of 


92  FLAIK  FACTS  FOF 

False  Delicacy.  Eemedial  Appliances. 

the  next  period,  when  she  becomes  weakened  still 
more.  By  a continuance  of  this  periodical  loss, 
the  person  may  be  reduced  to  a state  of  almost 
utter  helplessness.  A deathly  pallor  of  the  coun- 
tenance, extreme  emaciation,  loss  of  strength,  and 
general  debility  mark  the  effects  of  the  constant 
drain  upon  the  system.  Thousands  of  young  wo- 
men continue  to  suffer  in  this  way  year  after  year, 
until  their  constitutions  are  almost  hopelessly 
wrecked,  being  deterred  by  false  notions  of  mod- 
esty or  delicacy  from  consulting  a proper  medical 
adviser  and  finding  relief. 

The  observance  of  a few  simple  precautions,  and 
the  application  of  proper  remedies,  will  check  the 
unnatural  loss  in  most  of  these  cases  very  promptly. 
In  the  first  place,  absolute  rest,  chiefiy  in  a supine 
position,  must  be  observed  not  only  during  the  men- 
strual period,  but  for  a few  days  previous  to  its 
commencement.  If  this  does  not  restrain  the  fiow, 
then  cool  and  even  cold  compresses  may  be  applied 
to  the  lower  part  of  the  abdomen  and  to  the  small 
of  the  back.  In  severe  cases  no  harm  will  come 
from  the  use  of  an  ice-compress,  made  by  inclosing 
pounded  ice  between  the  folds  of  a towel.  Great 
care  must  be  taken  to  make  the  hands,  arms,  feet, 
and  limbs  thoroughly  warm  by  the  application  of 
warm  bottles  and  woolen  blankets.  These  meas- 
ures will  scarcely  fail  to  accomplish  the  desired 
end,  if  employed  thoroughly  and  judiciously.  It 
may  be  well  to  add  just  here  that  the  popular  fear 


OLD  AND  TOUNQ,  93 

Directions  for  the  General  Health.  The  Hip  Bath  and  Douche. 

of  using  cold  in  such  cases  is  groundless.  No 
harm  can  come  so  long  as  the  extremities  are  kept 
warm,  and  the  circulation  well  balanced.  The  pa- 
tient must  not  be  made  chilly,  however.  It  is  also 
of  importance  that  the  patient  be  kept  mentally 
(piiet  as  well  as  physically  so. 

Much  good  will  result  from  these  simple  meas- 
ures at  the  time  of  the  period  ; but  a radical  cure 
can  only  be  effected  by  removing  the  cause  of  the 
difficulty.  The  patient’s  general  health  must  be 
improved,  and  local  congestion  must  be  removed. 
This  will  be  accomplished  by  attention  to  general 
hygiene,  gentle  exercise  out-of-doors  between  the 
periods,  abundance  of  good  food,  tonic  baths  and 
other  necessary  treatment  if  there  is  derange- 
ment of  the  digestive  organs,  and  daily  hip  baths 
with  a local  douche.  The  hip  bath  should  be 
taken  in  water  of  a temperature  of  92°  at  the  be- 
ginning. After  five  minutes  the  temperature  may 
be  lowered  5°.  After  five  minutes  more,  it  may  be 
lowered  a few  degrees  more.  By  taking  a warm 
foot  bath  at  95°  or  100°  at  the  same  time,  quite  a 
cool  bath  may  be  endured  without  chilling.  The 
bath  should  be  continued  15  minutes  to  30  min- 
utes, according  to  the  strength  of  the  patient.  A 
shorter  bath  than  this  will  do  little  good,  as  the 
sedative  efiect  will  not  be  obtained. 

The  douche  may  be  taken  at  the  same  time  with 
the  bath,  or  before,  as  is  most  convenient.  The 
fountain  or  sypjion  syringe  should  be  employed. 


94  PLAIN  FACTS  FOP 

Bj'smenorrhcea.  Treatment  of  the  Malauy. 

and  the  water  used  should  range  from  95°  to  105°, 
as  best  suits  the  sensations  of  the  patient,  being 
cooled  a little  toward  the  last.  In  general,  the  hot 
douche,  of  a temperature  fi'om  100°  to  115°,  or  even 
120°,  is  not  only  more  agreeable,  but  much  more 
beneficial. 

By  these  simple  remedies  alone  we  have  success- 
fully treated  scores  of  cases  of  this  sort.  In  some 
cases  other  remedies  may  be  required,  and  in  nearly 
all,  accessory  remedies  can  be  employed  to  advan- 
tage ; but  the  measures  described  are  the  main 
features  of  the  most  successful  mode  of  treatment. 

Dysmenorrlioea. — This  condition  is  that  in  which 
there  is  more  or  less  pain  and  difficulty  in  connec- 
tion w'ith  the  menstrual  process.  The  causes  are 
various,  as  congestion  of  the  uterus,  malformation, 
and  displacement  or  distortion  of  the  organ.  Some 
of  these  conditions  require  the  attention  of  a skilled 
physician  to  remedy ; but  aU  will  be  palliated  more 
or  less  by  a course  of  treatment  similar  to  that 
described  for  the  previous  condition.  A warm  sitz 
or  hip  bath  just  at  the  beginning  of  the  period  will 
often  give  almost  magical  relief.  The  application  of 
fomentations  over  the  lower  part  of  the  abdomen, 
and  the  corresponding  portion  of  the  spine,  or  of 
hot  bags,  bottles,  etc.,  in  the  same  localities,  is  a 
measure  of  great  utility.  The  patient  should  be 
covered  warm  in  bed,  should  keep  quiet,  and  great 
care  should  be  used  to  keep  the  extremities  well 
warmed.  The  use  of  electricity  is  a very  valuable 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


95 


Amenorrhoea  and  Chlorosis.  Hysteria. 

aid  in  numerous  cases,  but  this  requires  the  services 
of  a physician,  who  should  always  be  employed  in 
severe  cases  when  within  reach. 

In  many  cases  of  this  form  of  disease  the  suffer- 
ing is  so  great  that  the  constant  dread  of  its  period- 
ical repetition  becomes  a source  of  great  unhappi- 
ness, and  casts  a gloom  over  the  life  of  an  individ- 
ual who  would  otherwise  be  as  happy  as  could  be 
desired. 

Amenorrhoea  and  Chlorosis. — These  are  se- 
rious disorders  which  require  prompt  and  vigorous 
attention.  They  depend  less  frequently  on  disorder 
of  the  sexual  organs  themselves  than  upon  some 
disorder  of  the  general  system.  They  usually 
demand  the  attention  of  a competent  physician, 
and  require  a more  accurate  description  of  their 
nature  and  of  proper  modes  of  treatment  than  we 
have  space  to  give  here. 

Hysteria.— From  the  most  remote  ages  of  med- 
ical history  this  disease  has  been  regarded  as  inti- 
mately connected  with  morbid  states  of  the  female 
organs  of  generation,  especially  the  uterus.  That 
it  is  not  exclusively  produced  by  causes  of  this 
kind  is  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  men  also  some- 
times suffer  from  this  curious  malady.  The  phases 
which  it  assumes  are  so  numerous  that  we  shall 
not  attempt  an  accurate  description  of  it ; neither 
is  this  required,  as  there  are  few  who  are  not  famil- 
iar with  its  peculiar  manifestations.  It  simulates 
almost  every  disease.  Even  consumption  and  other 


9Q 


PLAIN  FALLS  FOR 


Serious  Diseases  Simulated.  Cause  of  Hysteria. 

formidable  maladies  have  been  so  completely  simu- 
lated by  this  disorder  as  to  deceive  physicians  of 
long  experience.  We  have  met  cases  in  which 
young  ladies  were  supposed  to  be  in  the  last  stages 
of  pulmonary  disease,  were  apparently  gasping  al- 
most their  last  breath,  panting,  coughing,  and  ex- 
periencing the  usual  symptoms  which  accompany 
tuberculous  disease  of  the  lungs,  when,  upon  mak- 
ing a thorough  physical  examination  of  the  chest, 
we  could  find  no  evidence  of  pulnuonary  disease. 
In  one  case  we  incurred  the  everlasting  displeasure 
of  a young  lady  by  disclosing  the  real  state  of  af- 
fairs ; but  Ave  were  repaid  in  seeing  an  immediate 
disappearance  of  the  symptoms,  and  complete  recov- 
ery within  six  weeks,  although  the  young  woman 
had  been  considered  hopelessly  ill  by  her  friends 
and  physicians  for  six  months,  and  was  tenderly 
watched  over,  petted,'  and  mourned  by  friends  as 
one  who  must  soon  fall  a victim  to  fell  disease. 

The  foundation  of  this  disease  is  almost  always 
laid  in  some  indiscretion  by  means  of  which  dis- 
ease of  the  uterus  is  induced,  and  the  most  careful 
attention  to  this  part  of  the  organism  is  required. 
It  should  not  be  treated  as  a trivial  matter  which 
is  wholly  the  result  of  a diseased  imagination,  and 
requires  only  mental  ^treatment,  since  it  is  a real 
malady,  dependent  upon  morbid  states  of  the  sys- 
tem. It  requires  substantial  and  thorough  treat- 
ment as  much  as  rheumatism,  dyspepsia,  or  any 
other  of  the  numerous  diseases  to  which  humanity 
is  subject. 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


97 


Prevention  Better  than  Cure.  Extra-Uterine  Pregnancy. 

Prevention  Better  tlian  Cure. — We  might 
mention  numerous  other  diseased  conditions  which 
grow  out  of  inattention  to  the  laws  of  health  re- 
lating to  the  sexual  organism  ; hut  to  dwell  longer 
upon  this  part  of  the  subject  would  be  to  depart 
from  the  plan  of  this  work,  and  we  must  forbear. 
This  whole  class  of  maladies  is  noted  for  obstinacy 
in  great  numbers  of  cases  when  the  morbid  condi- 
tions have  existed  for  a long  time.  In  addition  it 
should  be  remarked  that  some  of  the  most  inveter- 
ate disorders  of  the  nervous  system  originate  in 
this  same  manner.  The  thousands  of  ladies  who 
are  suffering  with  spinal  irritation,  organic  disease 
of  the  spine  and  other  nervous  disorders,  are  wit- 
nesses to  this  fact.  It  is  apparent,  then,  that  pre- 
vention of  these  serious  maladies  by  attention  to 
sexual  hygiene,  especially  to  the  hygiene  of  men- 
struation at  the  first  establishment  of  that  function, 
is  a matter  of  gravest  importance.  In  fact,  atten- 
tion to  hygiene  is  about  all  that  is  required.  With 
this,  drugs  will  be  rarely  required ; without,  they 
will  be  utterly  useless. 

Extra-Uterine  Pregnancy.  — Sometimes  the 
ovum  becomes  fecundated  before  reaching  the 
uterus,  and,  instead  of  passing  onward  into  that 
organ  as  usual,  remains  in  its  position  in  the  Fal- 
lopian tube  or  even  on  the  surface  of  the  ovary. 
Occasionally  an  ovum  falls  into  the  cavity  of  the 
abdomen  instead  of  passing  into  the  tube.  Even 
in  this  situation  it  may  be  fecundated.  Impreg- 
7 


98 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOB 


Multiple  Berths.  Incredible  Fecundity. 

nated  ova  thus  left  in  abnormal  positions,  undergo 
a greater  or  lesser  degree  of  development.  They 
commonly  result  in  the  death  of  the  mother. 

Twins. — The  human  female  usually  matures  but 
one  ovum  at  each  menstrual  period,  the  two  ovaries 
acting  alternately.  Occasionally  two  ova  are  ma- 
tured at  once.  If  fecundation  occurs,  the  result 
will  be  a development  of  two  embryos  at  the  same 
time.  In  rare  cases,  three  or  even  four  ova  are 
matured  at  once,  and  by  fecundation  produce  a cor- 
responding number  of  embryos.  As  many  as  five 
children  have  been  born  alive  at  one  birth,  but 
have  not  lived  more  than  a few  minutes. 

The  occurrence  of  multiple  pregnancies  may  be 
explained  by  the  supposition  that  ova  matured  sub- 
sequent to  the  first  fecundation  are  also  fecundated. 

In  lower  animals,  the  uterus  is  often  divided  into 
two  long  segments  which  afibrd  room  for  the  devel- 
opment of  a number  of  young  at  once.  Some  an- 
cient writers  make  most  absurd  statements  with 
regard  to  the  fecundity  of  females.  One  declares 
that  the  simultaneous  birth  of  seven  or  eight  in- 
fants by  the  same  mother  was  an  ordinary  occur- 
rence with  Egyptian  women ! Other  statements 
still  more  extravagant  are  made  by  writei’s.  For 
example : A traveler  in  the  seventeenth  century 
wrote  that  he  saw,  in  the  3mar  1630,  in  a church 
near  the  Hague,  a tablet  on  w^hich  was  an  inscrip- 
tion stating  that  a certain  noted  countess  gave  birth 
at  once,  in  the  year  1276,  to  365  infants,  who  were 


OLD  AND  TO  UNO. 


99 


Monsters.  Explanation  of  Popular  Errors. 

all  baptized  and  christened,  the  males  being  all 
called  John,  and  the  females,  Elizabeth.  They  all 
died  on  the  day  of  their  birth,  with  their  mother, 
according  to  the  account,  and  were  buried  in  the 
church,  where  a tablet  was  erected  to  their  memory. 

Monsters. — Defects  and  abnormalities  in  the  de- 
velopment of  the  embryon  produce  all  degrees  of 
deviation  from  the  typical  human  form.  Excessive 
development  may  result  in  an  extra  finger  or  toe, 
or  in  the  production  of  some  peculiar  excrescence. 
Deficiency  of  development  may  produce  all  degrees 
of  abnormality  from  the  simple  harelip  to  the  most 
frightful  deficiency,  as  the  absence  of  a limb,  or 
even  of  a head.  It  is  in  this  manner  that  those 
unfortunate  individuals  known  as  hermaphrodites 
are  formed.  An  excessive  development  of  some 
parts  of  the  female  generative  oi’gans  gives  them  a 
great  degree  of  similarity  to  the  external  organs  of 
the  male.  A deficient  development  of  the  male  or- 
gans renders  them  very  similar  in  form  to  those  of 
the  female.  Redundant  development  of  the  sexual 
organism  sometimes  results  in  the  development  of 
both  kinds  of  organs  in  the  same  individual  in  a 
state  more  or  less  complete.  Cases  have  occurred 
in  which  it  has  become  necessary,  for  legal  pur- 
poses, to  decide  respecting  the  sex  of  an  individual 
sufiering  from  defective  development,  and  it  has 
sometimes  been  exceedingly  difficult  to  decide  in  a 
given  case  whether  the  individual  was  male  or  fe- 
male. 


100 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOB 


The  Carolina  and  Siamese  Twins.  Hybrids. 

Such  curious  cases  as  the  Carolina  twins  and 
Chang  and  Eng  were  formerly  supposed  to  be  the 
result  of  the  union  of  two  separate  individuals.  It 
is  now  believed  that  they  are  developed  from  a 
single  ovum.  It  has  been  observed  that  the  prim- 
itive trace — described  in  a previous  section — some- 
times undergoes  partial  division  longitudinally.  If 
it  splits  a little  at  the  anterior  end,  the  individual 
^11  have  a single  body  with  two  heads.  If  a par- 
tial division  occurs  at  each  end,  the  resulting  being 
will  possess  two  heads  and  two  pairs  of  legs  joined 
to  a single  body.  More  complete  division  produces 
a single  trunk  with  two  heads,  two  pairs  of  arms, 
and  two  pairs  of  legs,  as  in  the  case  of  the  Carolina 
twins.  Still  more  complete  division  may  result  in 
the  formation  of  two  perfect  individuals  almost  en- 
tirely independent  of  each  other,  physiologically, 
but  united  by  a narrow  band,  as  in  the  remarkable 
Siamese  twins,  Chang  and  Eng. 

In  a curious  case  reported  not  a great  while  ago, 
a partially  developed  infant  was  amputated  from 
the  cheek  of  a child  some  time  after  birth. 

The  precise  cause  of  these  strange  modifications 
of  development  is  as  yet,  in  great  degree,  a mystery. 

Hybrids. — It  is  a well-known  law  of  biology 
that  no  progeny  result  from  union  of  animals  of. 
different  species.  Different  varieties  of  the  same 
species  may  in  some  cases  form  a fertile  union,  the 
result  of  which  is  a cross  between  its  two  parents, 
possessing  some  of  the  qualities  of  each.  The  mule 


OX.U  AMD  YOUNG. 


101 


Hybrids  Fterile.  Law  of  Sex. 

is  the  product  of  such  a union  between  the  horse 
and  the  ass.  A curious  fact  is  that  the  offspring  of 
such  unions  are  themselves  sterile  almost  without 
exception.  The  reason  of  this  is  that  they  do  not 
produce  mature  elements  of  generation.  In  the 
mule,  the  zoosperms  are  either  entirely  absent  or 
else  very  imperfectly  developed;  hence  the  fact' 
that  a colt  having  a mule  for  its  sire  is  one  of  the 
rarest  of  curiosities,  though  a few  instances  have 
been  reported.  This  is  a wise  law  of  nature  to  pre- 
serve the  purity  of  species. 

Law  of  Sex. — If  there  is  a law  by  which  the 
sex  of  the  developing  embryon  is  determined,  it 
probably  has  not  yet  been  discovered.  The  influ- 
ence of  the  will,  the  predominant  vitality  of  one  or 
the  other  of  the  parents,  and  the  period  at  which 
conception  occurs,  have  all  been  supposed  to  be  the 
determining  cause.  A German  physician  some  time 
since  advanced  the  theory  that  the  two  testicles 
and  ovaries  produce  elements  of  different  sexual 
character,  the  right  testicle  forming  zoosperms 
capable  of  producing  only  males,  and  the  right 
ovary  producing-  ova  with  the  same  peculiarity. 
The  left  testis  and  the  left  ovary  he  supposed  to 
form  the  female  elements.  He  claimed  to  have 
proved  his  theory  by  experiments  upon  animals. 
Even  if  true,  this  theory  will  not  be  made  of  prac- 
tical importance.  It  is,  in  fact,  nothing  more  than 
a revival  of  an  old  theory  held  by  physicians  who 
flourished  more  than  two  thousand  years  ago. 


102 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOB 


A Plausible  Theory.  Heredity. 

More  recently  another  German  physician  has 
advanced  the  theory  that  the  sex  may  be  con- 
trolled at  will  by  observing  the  time  of  fecunda- 
tion. He  asserts  that  when  fecundation  occurs 
shortly  after  menstruation,  the  result  ■will  be  a 
female;  but  if  impregnation  occurs  later  in  the 
month,  and  prior  to  the  three  or  four  days  preced- 
ing the  next  menstrual  period,  a male  'will  almost 
certainly  be  produced.  This  theory  was  proposed 
by  Prof.  Thury  of  the  academy  of  Geneva,  who 
claims  to  have  thoroughly  tested  it  in  a great 
variety  of  ways,  and  always  with  an  affinnative 
result.  Dr.  Heitzman,  of  New  York,  an  instructor 
in  pathological  histology,  and  an  eminent  physiolo- 
gist, informs  us  that  he  has  thoroughly  tested  this 
theory,  and  finds  it  to  be  entirely  reliable.  There 
are  numerous  facts  which  seem  to  corroborate  the 
truth  of  this  theory,  and  future  investigations  may 
give  to  it  the  dignity  of  an  established  physiolog- 
ical fact. 

Heredity. — The  phenomena  of  heredity  are 
among  the  most  interesting  of  biological  studies. 
It  is  a matter  of  common  observation  that  a child 
looks  like  its  parents.  It  even  happens  that  a 
child  resembles  an  uncle  or  a grandparent  more 
nearly  than  either  parent.  The  same  peculiarities 
are  often  seen  in  animals. 

The  cause  of  this  resemblance  of  ofispring  to 
parents  and  ancestors  has  been  made  a subject  of 
careful  study  by  scientific  men.  W e shall  present 


OLD  AL^D  YOUNG. 


103 


The  Doctrine  of  Pangenesia.  Illusti'atiTe  Experiments. 

the  most  recent  theory  adopted,  which,  although  it 
he  but  a theory,  presents  such  an  array  of  facts  in 
its  support,  and  explains  the  phenomena  in  ques- 
tion so  admirably,  that  it  must  be  regarded  as 
something  more  than  a plausible  hypothesis.  It  is 
the  conception  of  one  of  the  most  distinguished 
scientists  of  the  age.  The  theory  is  known  as  the 
doctrine  of  pangenesis,  and  is  essentially  as  fol- 
lows : — 

It  is  a fact  well  known  to  physiologists  that 
every  part  of  the  living  body  is  made  up  of  cellu- 
lar elements  which  have  the  power  to  reproduce 
themselves  in  the  individual,  thus  repairing  the 
damage  resulting  from  waste  and  injury.  Each 
cell  produces  cells  like  itself.  It  is  further  known 
that  there  are  found  in  the  body  numerous  central 
points  of  growth.  In  every  group  of  cells  is  found 
a central  cell  from  which  the  others  originated, 
and  which  determines  the  form  of  their  growth. 
Every  minute  structure  possesses  such  a center. 
A simple  proof  of  this  fact  is  found  in  the  exper- 
iment in  which  the  spur  of  a cock  was  grafted 
upon  the  ear  of  an  ox.  It  lived  in  this  novel  sit- 
uation eight  years,  attaining  the  length  of  nine 
inches,  and  nearly  a pound  in  weight.  A tooth 
has  been  made  to  grow  upon  the  comb  of  a cock  in 
a similar  manner.  The  tail  of  a pig  survived  the 
operation  of  transplanting  from  its  proper  position 
to  the  back  of  the  animal,  and  retained  its  sensi- 
bility. Numerous  other  similar  illustrations  might 
be  given. 


104 


PLAiy  FACTS  FOR 


Development  of  Cells.  The  Problems  of  Heredity  Explained. 

The  doctrine  of  pangenesis  supposes  that  these 
centers  of  nutrition  form  and  throw  off  not  only 
cells  like  themselves,  but  very  minute  granules, 
called  gemmules,  each  of  which  is  capable,  under 
suitable  circumstances,  of  developing  into  a cell 
like  its  parent. 

These  minute  granules  are  scattered  through  the 
system  in  great  numbers.  The  essential  organs  of 
generation,  the  testicles  in  the  male  and  the  ova- 
ries in  the  female,  perform  the  task  of  collecting 
these  gemmules  and  forming  them  into  sets,  each 
of  which  constitutes  a reproductive  element,  and 
contains,  in  rudimentary  form,  a representative  of 
every  part  of  the  individual,  including  the  most 
minute  peculiarities.  Even  more  than  this  : It  is 
supposed  that  each  ovum  and  each  zoosperm  con- 
tains not  only  the  gemmules  necessary  to  repro- 
duce the  individuals  who  produced  them,  but  also  a 
number  of  gemmules  which  have  been  ti’ansmitted 
from  the  individuals’  ancestors. 

If  this  theory  be  true, — and  we  can  see  no  sound 
objection  to  it, — it  is  easy  to  understand  all  the 
problems  of  heredity.  The  gemmules  must  be 
very  small  indeed,  but  it  may  be  suggested  that 
the  molecules  of  matter  are  smaller  still,  so  this 
fact  is  no  objection  to  the  theory. 

It  will  be  seen,  then,  that  each  spermatozoon, 
or  zoosperm,  actually  contains,  in  an  embryonic 
condition,  every  organ  and  tissue  of  the  individual 
producing  it.  The  same  is  true  of  the  ovum.  In 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


105 


The  Theory  Confirmed.  Ante-Natal  Influences. 

other  words,  the  reproductive  elements  are  com- 
plete representatives,  in  miniature,  of  the  parents, 
and  contain  all  the  elements  for  producing  an 
offspring  possessing  the  same  peculiarities  as  the 
parents.  Various  modifying  circumstances  suffi- 
ciently explain  the  dissimilarities  between  parents 
and  children. 

This  theory  is  strikingly  confirmed  by  the  fact, 
previously  mentioned,  that  in  certain  cases  the 
ovum  alone,  a single  reproductive  element,  may 
undergo  a degree  of  development  approaching  very 
near  to  completion.  It  is  supposed  that  fecunda- 
tion is  chiefly  necessary  to  give  to  the  gemmules 
the  requisite  amount  of  nourishment  to  insure 
development. 

As  we  shall  see  hereafter,  this  matter  has  a veiy 
important  bearing  upon  several  practical  questions. 

Ante-Natal  Influences. — There  can  be  no  man- 
ner of  doubt  that  many  circumstances  which  it  is 
entirely  within  the  power  of  the  parents  to  supply, 
exert  a powerful  influence  in  molding  both  the 
mental  and  the  physical  characteristics  of  offspring. 
By  carefully  availing  himself  of  the  controlling 
power  given  him  by  a knowledge  of  this  fact,  the 
stock-raiser  is  enabled  to  produce  almost  any  re- 
quired quality  in  his  young  animals.  Pigeon  fan- 
ciers show  wonderful  skill  in  thus  producing  most 
curious  modifications  in  birds.  The  laws  of  hered- 
ity and  development  are  carefully  studied  and  ap- 
plied in  the  production  of  superior  horses,  cows. 


106  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Keckless  Generation.  Law  Uniyei-sal. 

dogs,  and  pigeons ; but  an  application  of  the  same 
principles  to  the  improvement  of  the  human  race 
is  rarely  thought  of.  Human  beings  are  generated 
in  as  haphazard  and  reckless  a manner  as  weeds 
are  sown  by  the  wind.  No  account  is  taken  of 
the  possible  influence  which  may  be  exerted  upon 
the  future  destiny  of  the  new  being  by  the  phys- 
ical or  mental  condition  of  parents  at  the  moment 
when  the  germ  of  life  is  planted,  or  by  the  mental 
and  physical  conditions  and  surroundings  of  the 
mother  while  the  young  life  is  developing.  In- 
deed, the  assertion  of  a modem  winter  that  the 
poor  of  our  great  cities  virtually  “ spawn  children,” 
with  as  little  thought  of  influences  and  conse- 
quences as  the  fish  that  sow  their  eggs  broadcast 
upon  the  waters,  is  not  so  great  an  exaggeration  as 
it  might  at  first  sight  appear  to  be. 

Law  Universal. — Men  and  women  are  con- 
stantly prone  to  forget  that  the  domain  of  law  is 
universal.  Nothing  comes  by  chance.  The  revo- 
lutions of  the  planets,  studied  by  the  aid  of  the 
telescope,  and  the  gyrations  of  the  atoms,  seen  only 
by  the  eye  of  science,  are  alike  examples  of  the 
controlling  influence  of  law.  Notwithstanding  this 
sad  ignoi’ance  and  disregard  of  this  vitally  impor- 
tant subject,  the  effects  of  law  are  only  too  clearly 
manifested  in  the  crowds  of  ‘umetched  human  be- 
ings with  which  the  world  is  thronged.  An  old 
writer  sagely  remarks,  “ It  is  the  greatest  part  of 
our  felicity  to  be  well  born nevertheless,  it  is  the 


OLD  AND  TOUNO.  107 

A Source  of  Ciiine.  Crinnnality  Hereditary. 

sad  misfortune  of  by  far  the  greater  portion  of 
humanity  to  be  deprived  of  this  inestimable  “ fe- 
licity.” I 

A Source  of  Crime. — Who  can  tell  how  many  of 
the  liars,  thieves,  drunkards,  murderers,  and  prosti- 
tutes of  our  day  are  less  responsible  for  their  crimes 
against  themselves,  against  society,  and  against 
Heaven,  than  those  who  were  instrumental  in 
bringing  them  into  the  world  ? Almost  every  vil- 
lage has  its  boy  “ who  was  born  drunk,”  a stagger- 
ing, simpering,  idiotic  representative  of  a drunken 
father,  beastly  intoxicated  at  the  very  moment 
when  he  should  have  been  most  sober. 

An  interesting  study  of  this  question  has  recently  ^ 

been  made  by  Mr.  Dugdale,  a member  of  the 
Prison  Association  of  the  State  of  New  York. 

When  visiting  ‘the  various  jails  of  the  State,  he 
found  in  one  six  persons  detained  for  crimes  of  vari- 
ous character,  between  all  of  whom  there  was  a 
family  relation.  Upon  further  inquiry,  he  found 
that  of  the  same  family  there  wei’e  twenty-nine 
relatives  in  the  vicinity,  seventeen  of  whom  were 
criminals.  Still  further  investigation  developed 
the  following  facts  : — 

Within  seventy-five  years,  a family  of  1200  per- 
sons have  sprung  from  five  sisters,  several  of  whom 
were  illegitimate,  and  three  of  whom  were  known 
to  be  unchaste,  and  who  married  men  whose  father 
was  an  idle,  thriftless  hunter,  a hard  drinker,  and 
licentious. 


108  PLAIN  FA\~T&  FOB 

The  Juke  Family.  Legislation  Needed. 

Of  this  family,  the  history  of  hut  709  was  traced. 
Of  these,  the  facts  set  forth  iu  the  following  in- 
complete summary  were  found  to  be  true : — 


Paupers, 280 

Years  of  pauperism, 798 

Criminals, 140 

Years  of  infamy, ■ 750 

Thieves, 60 

Murderers, ' 7 

Prostitutes  and  adulteresses, 165 

Illegitimate  children, 91 

No.  of  persons  contaminated  by  syphilitic  disease,  . . 480 

Cost  to  the  State  in  various  ways, §1,308,000 


Without  doubt  a complete  summary  would  m.ake 
this  showing  still  more  appalling,  since  of  the  709 
whose  histories  were  traced,  it  was  in  many  in- 
stances impossible  to  determine  whether  the  indi- 
viduals were  guilty  of  crime  or  unchastity  or  not, 
even  where  there  were  grounds  for  suspicion.  Such 
cases  were  not  included  in  the  summary. 

No  amount  of  argument  on  this  question  could 
be  so  conclusive  as  are  these  simple  facts  concerning 
the  “Juke”  family.  It  is  certainly  high  time  that 
our  legislators  began  to  awaken  to  this  subject, 
and  consider  whether  it  wordd  be  an  unprofitable 
experiment  to  make  some  attempt  to  prevent  the 
multiplication  of  criminals  in  this  manner.  We 
are  not  prepared  to  offer  a plan  for  securing  such 
an  end  ; but  it  is  very  clearly  important  that  some- 
thing should  be  done  in  this  direction. 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


109 


Transniitted  Sezuad  Depravity.  Cause  of  Disease  and  Deformity. 

It  is  an  established  physiological  fact  that  the 
character  of  offspring  is  influenced  by  the  mental 
as  well  as  the  physical  conditions  of  the  parents  at 
the  moment  of  the  performance  of  the  generative 
act.  In  view  of  this  fact,  how  many  parents  can 
regard  the  precocious — or  even  mature — manifesta- 
tions of  sexual  depravity  in, their  children  without 
painful  smitings  of  conscience  at  seeing  the  legiti- 
mate results  of  their  own  sensuality  ? By  debas- 
ing the  reproductive  function  to  an  act  of  self- 
ish animal  indulgence,  they  imprinted  upon  their 
children  an  almost  irresistible  tendency  to  vice. 
Viewing  the  matter  from  this  stand-point,  what 
wonder  that  licentiousness  is  rife ! that  true  chas- 
tity is  among  the  rarest  of  virtues  ! 

Prof.  0.  W.  Holmes  remarks  on  this  subject: 
“ There  are  people  who  think  that  everything  may 
be  done  if  the  doctor,  be  he  educator  or  physician, 
be  only  called  in  season.  No  doubt;  but  in  sea- 
son would  often  be  a hundred  or  two  years  be- 
fore the  child  was  born,  and  people  never  send  so 
early  as  that.”  “ Each  of  us  is  only  the  footing  up 
of  a double  column  of  figures  that  goes  back  to  the 
first  pair.  Every  unit  tells,  and  some  of  them  are 
2)lns  and  some  minus.  If  the  columns  do  n’t  add 
up  right,  it  is  commonly  because  we  can’t  make  out 
all  of  the  figures.” 

It  cannot  be  doubted  that  the  throngs  of  deaf, 
blind,  crippled,  idiotic  unfortunates  who  were  “born 
so,”  together  with  a still  larger  class  of  dwarfed. 


110  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

The  Child  a Eeflection  of  the  Parent.  Results  of  Attention  to  Laws. 

diseased,  and  constitutionally  weak  individuals,  are 
the  lamentable  results  of  the  violation  of  some  sex- 
ual law  on  the  part  of  their  progenitors. 

If  parents  would  stop  a moment  to  consider  the 
momentous  responsibilities  involved  in  the  act  of 
bringing  into  existence  a human  being;  if  they 
would  reflect  that  the  qualities  imparted  to  the  new 
being  will  aflect  its  character  to  all  eternity ; if  they 
would  recall  the  fact  that  they  are  about  to  produce 
a mirror  in  which  will  be  reflected  their  own  char- 
acters divested  of  all  the  flimsy  fabrics  which  deceive 
their  fellow-men,  revealing  even  the  secret  imagin- 
ings of  their  hearts, — there  would  surely  be  far  less 
of  sin,  disease,  and  misery  born  into  the  world  than 
at  the  present  day ; but  we  dare  not  hope  for  such 
a reform.  To  effect  it,  would  require  such  a revo- 
lution in  the  customs  of  society,  such  a radical  re- 
form in  the  habits  and  charactei's  of  individuals,  as 
nothing  short  of  a temporal  millennium  would  be 
able  to  effect. 

It  is  quite  probable  that  some  writers  have 
greatly  exaggerated  the  possible  results  which  may 
be  attained  by  proper  attention  to  the  laws  under 
consideration.  All  cannot  be  equally  beautiful ; 
every  child  cannot  be  a genius ; the  influence  of 
six  thousand  years  of  transgression  cannot  be  ef- 
faced in  a single  generation ; but  persevering,  con- 
scientious efforts  to  comply  with  every  requirement 
of  health,  purity,  morality,  and  the  laws  of  nature, 
will  accomplish  wonders  in  securing  healthy  chil- 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


Ill 


Effect  of  Lust  upon  the  Child.  Transmission  of  Qualities. 

dren  with  good  dispositions,  brilliant  intellects,  and 
beautiful  bodies. 

This  is  not  the  proper  place  to  describe  in  detail 
a plan  to  be  pursued ; but  the  few  hints  given,  if 
rightly  appreciated,  may  enable  those  interested  in 
the  subject  to  plan  for  themselves  a proper  course. 
In  concluding  the  subject,  we  may  summarize  its 
chief  points  as  follows,  for  the  purpose  of  impress- 
ing them  more  fully  upon  the  mind : — 

1.  If  a child  is  begotten  in  lust,  its  lower  passions 
will  as  certainly  be  abnormally  developed  as  peas 
will  produce  peas,  or  potatoes  produce  potatoes. 
If  the  child  does  not  become  a rake  or  a prostitute, 
it  will  be  because  of  uncommonly  fortunate  sur- 
roundings, or  a miracle  of  divine  grace.  But  even 
then,  what  terrible  struggles  with  sin  and  vice, 
with  foul  thoughts  and  lewd  imaginations — the 
product  of  a naturally  abnormal  mind — must  such 
an  individual  suffer ! If  he  is  unsuccessful  in  the 
conflict,  is  he  alone  to  blame  ? Society,  his  fellow- 
men,  will  censure  him  alone ; but  He  who  knoweth 
all  the  secrets  of  human  life  will  pass  a more  leni- 
ent judgment  on  the  erring  one,  and  mete  out  pun- 
ishment where  it  most  belongs. 

2.  The  same  remarks  apply  with  equal  force  to 
the  transmission  of  other  qualities.  If  the  interest 
of  the  parents  is  only  for  self,  with  no  thought  for 
the  well-being  of  the  one  whose  destiny  is  in  their 
hands,  they  can  expect  naught  but  a selfish  charac- 
ter, a sordid,  greedy  disposition,  in  the  child. 


112  PLAIN  FACTS  FOB 

Influence  During  Gestation.  Proper  Development. 

3.  The  influence  of  the  father  is,  at  the  outset,  as 
great  as  that  of  the  mother.  The  unhappy  or  im- 
moi'al  thoughts  of  one  alone  at  the  critical  moment 
when  life  is  imparted,  may  fix  for  eternity  a foul 
blot  upon  a character  yet  unformed. 

4.  If  during  gestation  the  mother  is  fretful,  com- 
plaining, and  exacting ; if  she  requires  to  be  petted 
and  waited  upon ; if  she  gratifies  every  idle  whim 
and  indulges  every  depraved  desire  and  perverted 
appetite — as  thousands  of  mothers  do — the  result 
will  surely  be  a peevish,  fretful  child,  that  will  de- 
velop into  a morose  and  irritable  man  or  woman, 
imperious,  unthankful,  disobedient,  willful,  glutton- 
ous, and  vicious. 

If  such  undesirable  results  would  be  avoided,  the 
following  suggestions  should  be  regarded : — 

1.  For  the  beginning  of  a new  life,  select  the 
most  favorable  time,  which  will  be  when  the  bodily 
health  is  at  its  height ; when  the  mind  is  free  from 
care  and  anxiety ; when  the  heart  is  joyous,  cheer- 
ful, and  filled  with  hope,  love,  high  aspirations,  pure 
and  beautiful  thoughts.  If,  as  one  writer  says,  it 
is  the  duty  of  every  human  pair  engaging  in  the 
reproductive  act  to  bring  into  existence  the  most 
perfect  specimen  of  the  race  of  which  they  are 
capable,  then  it  becomes  a monstrous  crime  to  enter 
into  relations  which  may  produce  a contrary  result. 
This  may  be  a truth  hard  to  accept,  but  who  is  pre- 
pared to  dispute  it  on  logical  or  moral  grounds  ? 

2.  If  a child  has  been  properly  conceived,  the 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


113 


CultiTatioQ  of  Desirable  Qualities.  Circumcision. 


duty  then  devolves  upon  the  mother  to  secure  its 
proper  development.  Is  beauty  desired,  let  the 
mother  he  surrounded  with  beautiful  objects ; and 
let  her  mind  dwell  upon  such  objects.  If  an  active 
mind  and  brilliant  intellect  are  required,  the  mother 
should  devote  considerable  time  to  study  and  men- 
tal labor  of  a pleasant  nature.  The  moral  nature 
should  be  carefully  cultivated,  to  insure  a lovely 
disposition.  No  angry  words  or  unhappy  feelings 
should  be  tolerated.  Purity  of  heart  and  life  should 
he  maintained.  The  husband  should  do  his  part  by 
supplying  favorable  surroundings,  suggesting  cheer- 
ful thoughts,  and  aiding  mental  culture. 

3.  After  birth,  the  mother  still  possesses  a mold- 
ing influence  upon  the  development  of  her  child 
through  the  lacteal  secretion.  Every  mother  knows 
how  speedily  the  child  will  suffer  if  nursed  when 
she  is  exhausted  by  physical  labor  or  when  suffer- 
ing from  nervous  excitement,  as  anger  or  grief. 
These  facts  show  the  influence  which  the  mental 
states  of  the  mother  exert  upon  the  child  even 
when  the  act  of  nursing  is  the  only  physical  bond 
between  them. 

It  would  be  a happy  day  for  the  race  which 
should  witness  the  recognition  of  the  fact  that  in- 
fants, even  human  beings  in  embryo,  possess  rights 
which  are  as  sacred  as  those  of  adult  human  beings. 

Circumcision. — The  fold  of  integument  called 
the  prepuce,  which  has  been  previously  described, 
has  upon  its  inner  surface  a large  number  of  glands 
8 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 


lii 

A Salutary  Custom.  Castration. 

which  produce  a peculiar  secretion.  Under  certain 
circumstances,  and  from  inattention  to  personal 
cleanliness,  this  secretion  may  accumulate,  and 
then  often  becomes  the  cause  of  irritation  and  se- 
rious disease.  To  prevent  such  disorders,  and  to 
insure  cleanliness,  the  Jewish  law  required  the  re- 
moval of  the  prepuce,  which  constituted  the  rite  of 
circumcision.  The  same  practice  is  followed  by  sev- 
eral modern  nations  dwelling  in  tropical  climates  ; 
and  it  can  scarcely  be  doubted  that  it  is  a very 
salutary  one,  and  has  contributed  very  materially 
to  the  maintenance  of  that  proverbial  national 
health  for  which  the  Jews  are  celebrated.  Emi- 
nent physicians  have  expressed  the  opinion  that 
the  practice  would  be  a salutary  one  for  all  men. 
The  maintenance  of  scrupulous  cleanliness,  by  daily 
cleansing,  is  at  least  an  imperative  duty. 

In  some  countries,  females  are  also  circumcised 
by  removal  of  the  nymphse.  The  object  is  the 
same  as  that  of  circumcision  in  the  male.  The 
same  evils  result  from  inattention  to  local  cleanli- 
ness, and  the  same  measure  of  prevention,  daily 
cleansing,  is  necessitated  by  a similar  secretion. 
Local  cleanliness  is  greatly  neglected  by  both 
sexes.  Daily  washing  should  begin  with  infancy 
and  continue  through  life,  and  will  prevent  much 
disease. 

Castration. — This  operation  consists  in  the  re- 
moval of  the  testes  of  the  male.  It  does  not  at 
once  obliterate  the  sexual  sense,  especially  if  per- 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


115 


Effects  of  Castration.  Spaying  and  its  Effects. 

formed  after  puberty,  but  of  course  renders  the 
individual  impotent,  or  incapable  of  reproduction. 
Persons  upon  whom  it  has  been  performed  are 
called  eunuchs.  It  was  a very  common  custom  in 
ancient  times,  being  usually  prompted  by  the  jeal- 
ousy of  rulers,  who  allowed  no  males  but  eunuchs 
to  associate  with  their  wives  and  concubines.  The 
effect  upon  the  male  is  to  render  him  effeminate  in 
appearance  and  weak  in  mind.  If  performed  be- 
fore puberty,  the  growth  of  the  beard  is  scanty, 
and  the  voice  never  acquires  that  deepness  of  tone 
natural  to  the  masculine  voice. 

' An  analogous  operation,  termed  spaying,  is  per- 
formed upon  females,  consisting  in  the  removal  of 
the  ovaries ; effects  similar  to  those  in  the  male, 
sterility  without  entire  immediate  loss  of  sexual 
sense,  being  the  usual  result.  Spaying  is  much 
more  rarely  performed  than  castration.  Both  op- 
erations are  now  quite  rare,  seldom  being  resorted 
to  except  in  surgical  cases.  Castration  is  still 
practiced  in  some  Eastern  countries. 


The  Sexual  Relations, 


fUST  in  proportion  as  the  perpetuation  of  the 
race  is  more  important  than  the  existence  of 
any  single  individual,  the  organs  of  reproduction 
may  in  a certain  sense  be  said  to  rank  higher 
than  any  other  organs  of  the  human  frame,  since  to 
them  is  intrusted  the  important  duty  of  performing 
that  most  marvelous  of  all  vital  processes,  the  pro- 
duction of  human  beings.  That  this  high  rank  in 
the  vital  economy  is  recognized  by  nature,  is  shown 
by  the  fact  that  she  has  attached  to  the  abuse  of 
the  generative  function  the  most  terrible  penalties 
.which  can  be  inflicted  upon  a living  being.  The 
power  of  abuse  seems  to  be  almost  exclusively  con- 
fined to  man ; hence,  we  find  him  the  only  one  of 
all  living  creatures  subject  to  the  awful  penalties 
of  sexual  transgression. 

The  use  of  the  reproductive  function  is  perhaps 
the  highest  physical  act  of  which  man  is  capable  : 
its  abuse  is  certainly  one  of  the  most  grievous  out- 
rages against  nature  which  it  is  possible  for  him  to 
perpetrate.  No  observing  person  can  doubt  that 
the  sexual  relations  of  men  and  women  determine 
in  a great  degree  their  happiness  or  misery  in  life. 
This  subject,  then,  deserves  due  attention  and  care- 
ful consideration.  It  is  of  no  use  to  scout  it ; for 
116 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


117 


Importance  of  the  Subject.  Sexual  Precocity.  . 

it  will  inevitably  obtrude  itself  upon  us,  no  matter 
bow  sedulously  we  attempt  to  avoid  it.  It  can  be 
rightly  considered  only  with  the  most  perfect  can- 
dor, with  the  mind  unbiased  by  passion,  and  prayer- 
fully anxious  to  know  and  do  what  is  right. 

In  the  following  paragraphs  of  this  section  are 
considered  some  of  the  evils  out  of  which  grows 
much  of  the  sexual  suffering  of  men  and  women : — 
Sexual  Precocity. — There  are  two  periods  in 
human  life  when  the  sexual  instincts  should  be 
totally  dormant ; and  they  are  so  when  nature  is 
not  perverted.  The  first  is  the  period  reaching 
from  infancy  to  puberty.  The  second  is  the  period 
reached  in  advanced  age. 

If  raised  strictly  in  accordance  wdth  natural  law, 
children  would  have  no  sexual  notions  or  feelings 
before  the  occurrence  of  puberty.  No  prurient 
speculation  about  sexual  matters  would  enter  their 
heads.  Until  that  period,  the  reproductive  system 
should  lie  dormant  in  its  undeveloped  state.  No 
other  feeling  should  be  exhibited  between  the  sexes 
than  that  brotherly  and  sisterly  affection  which  is 
so  admirable  and  becoming. 

Fortunate,  indeed,  would  it  be  for  humanity  if 
this  natural  state  always  existed ; but  it  is  a lam- 
entable fact  that  it  is  rarely  seen  in  modern  homes. 
Not  infrequently,  evidences  of  sexual  passion  are 
manifested  before  the  child  has  hardly  learned  to 
walk.  It  has  been  suggested  that  this  precocity  is 
nothing  remarkable  or  unnatural,  since  it  is  often 


118 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOP 


Early  Development  and  Early  Decay.  Afitonishing  Ignorance. 

seen  in  little  lambs  and  other  young  animals.  To 
this  it  is  only  necessary  to  reply  that  the  develop- 
ment of  the  sexual  instincts  perfectly  corresponds 
with  the  longevity  of  the  animal;  if  short-lived,  like 
the  §heep,  only  a short  period  intervenes  between 
birth  and  the  attainment  of  the  sexual  appetite  and 
virility.  If  the  animal  is  intended  for  long  life,  as 
is  the  case  with  man,  these  manifestations  are  de- 
layed until  a much  later  period,  or  should  be. 
Certain  insects  perform  the  sexual  act  as  soon  as 
they  acquire  their  perfect  form ; but  they  perish  as 
soon  as  the  act  is  completed. 

Astonishing  Ignorance. — It  is  astonishing  how 
ignorant  and  indifferent  the  majority  of  people  are 
upon  this  subject.  A friend  related  to  us  an  inci- 
dent which  fairly  illustrates  the  terrible  apathy 
which  prevails  among  pai’ents.  While  teaching  a 
country  school,  he  learned  that  a large  number  of 
children,  boys  and  girls,  of  ages  varjdng  from  eight 
to  twelve  and  fourteen  years,  were  in  the  habit  of 
collecting  together  in  bams  and  other  secluded 
places,  and  in  a state  of  nudity  imitating  the 
“ Black  Crook  ” with  all  possible  additional  nasti- 
ness. Horrified  at  such  a monstrous  evil,  he  has- 
tened to  inform  the  parents  of  the  corruption  in 
their  midst.  Imagine  his  astonishment  when  he 
was  met  with  an  indiflTerent  laugh  and  the  response, 
“ Pooh  ! it’s  only  natural ; perfectly  harmless  ; just 
like  little  pigs ! ” As  though  pigs  were  models  for 
» human  beings ! 


OLD  AND  YOUNG.  HQ 

Fruits  of  Parental  Carelessness.  Indications  of  Precocity. 

It  is  not  pleasant  to  consider  what  must  have 
, been  the  moral  status  of  parents  who  could  hold 
such  views ; and  it  is  no  wonder  that  they  should 
produce  such  children.  Doubtless  they  learned, 
too  late,  that  those  “natural”  manifestations  were 
the  outgrowth  of  incipient  vices,  planted  and  fos- 
tered by  themselves,  which  in  later  years  destroyed 
shame  and  gave  loose  rein  to  lust. 

Often  the  manifestation  of  sexual  precocity  is 
less  gross,  but  almost  equally  fraught  with  danger, 
nevertheless.  Dr.  Acton,  a distinguished  English 
surgeon  whom  we  shall  frequently  quote,  makes 
the  following  excellent  remarks  upon  this  subject : — 

“Slight  signs  are  sufficient  to  indicate  when  a 
boy  has  this  unfortunate  tendency.  He  shows 
marked  preferences.  You  will  see  him  single  out 
one  girl,  and  evidently  derive  an  unusual  pleasure 
(for  a boy)  in  her  society.  His  penchant  does  not 
take  the  ordinary  form  of  a boy’s  good  nature,  but 
little  attentions  that  are  generally  reserved  for  a 
later  period  prove  that  his  feeling  is  different,  and 
sadly  premature.  He  may  be  apparently  healthy, 
and  fond  of  playing  with  other  boys;  still  there 
are  slight,  but  ominous,  indications  of  propensities 
fraught  with  danger  to  himself.  His  play  with 
the  girl  is  different  from  his  play  with  his  brothers. 
His  kindness  to  her  is  a little  too  ardent.  He  fol- 
lows her,  he  does  not  know  why.  He  fondles  her 
with  a tenderness  painfully  suggestive  of  a vague 
dawning  of  passion.  No  one  can  find  fault  with 


120  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

A Cause  for  Anxiety.  A Caution  to  Parents  and  Ifurses. 

him.  He  does  nothing  wrong.  Parents  and  friends 
are  delighted  at  his  gentleness  and  politeness,  and 
not  a little  amused  at  the  early  flirtation.  If  they 
were  wise,  they  would  rather  feel  profound  anxiety ; 
and  he  would  be  an  unfaithful  or  unwi«e  medical 
friend  who  did  not,  if  an  opportunity  occurred, 
warn  them  that  such  a boy,  imsuspicious  and  inno- 
cent as  he  is,  ought  to  be  carefuUy  watched  and  re- 
moved from  every  influence  calculated  to  foster  his 
abnormal  propensities.  i 

“ The  premature  development  of  the  sexual  in- 
clination is  not  alone  repugnant  to  all  we  associate 
with  the  term  childhood,  but  is  also  fraught  with 
danger  to  dawning  manhood.  On  the  judicious 
treatment  of  a case  such  as  has  been  sketched,  it 
probably  depends  whether  the  dangerous  propensity 
shall  be  so  kept  in  check  as  to  preserve  the  boy’s 
health  and  innocence,  or  whether  one  more  shat- 
tered constitution  and  wounded  conscience  shall  be 
added  to  the  victims  of  sexual  precocity  and  care- 
less training.  It  ought  not  to  be  forgotten  that  in 
such  cases  a quasi-sexual  power  often  accompanies 
these  premature  sexual  inclinations.  Few,  per- 
haps, except  medical  men,  know  how  early  in  life 
a mere  infant  may  experience  erections.  Fre- 
quently it  may  be  noticed  that  a little  child,  on 
being  taken  out  of  bed  in  the  morning,  cannot 
make  water  at  once.  It  would  be  well  if  it  were 
recognized  by  parents  and  nurses  that  this  often 
depends  upon  a more  or  less  complete  erection.” 

I 

-> 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


121 


Passion.  Hereditary  Predisposition. 

We  have  been  not  more  disgusted  than  shocked 
to  see  parents,  whose  intelligence  ought  to  teach 
them  better,  not  only  winking  at,  but  actually  en- 
couraging, these  premature  manifestations  of  pas- 
sion in  f’-'eir  children.  They  may  yet  learn,  by 
bitter  experience,  the  folly  of  their  course,  unless 
they  make  the  discovery  in  time  to  avert  the  ca- 
lamitous results  which  threaten  the  future  of  their 
children,  by  careful  reformatory  training. 

Inherited  Passion. — It  is  important  to  inquire 
the  cause  of  this  precocity.  Said  a father  of  our 
acquaintance,  when  remonstrated  with  for  encour- 
aging his  infant  son  in  a ridiculous  flirtation,  “I 
did  just  so  when  I was  of  his  age.”  In  this  case 
the  cause  was  evident.  The  child  was  only  acting 
out  the  disposition  bequeathed  him  by  his  parent. 
How  often  do  the  secret  follies  of  parents  stand 
out  in  bold  relief  in  their  children.  Such  a legacy 
is  nothing  to  be  proud  of. 

We  again  quote  from  Dr.  Acton  some  observa- 
tions on  the  causes  of  this  disorder, — for  a grave 
disorder  it  is, — as  follows ; — 

“I  should  specify  hereditary  predisposition  as 
by  no  means  the  least  common.  . . ‘ . I believe 

that,  as  in  body  and  mind,  so  also  in  the  passions, 
the  sins  of  the  father  are  frequently  visited  on  the 
children.  No  man  or  woman,  I am  sure,  can  have 
habitually  indulged  the  sexual  passions  . . . 

without,  at  least,  running  the  risk  of  finding  that 
a disposition  to  follow  a similar  career  has  been 


122 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 


Varioxis  Causes  of  Sexual  Precocity.  Juvenile  Parties. 

inherited  by  the  otFspring.  It  is  in  this  way  only 
that  we  can  explain  the  early  and  apparently 
almost  irresistible  propensity  in  generation  after 
generation  indulging  similar  habits  and  feelings.” 

Yarious  Causes  of  Sexual  Precocity. — An- 
other very  powerful  predisposing  cause  of  sexual 
precocity  will  he  alluded  to  under  the  head  of 
“ Marital  Excesses.”  The  irritation  caused  by 
worms  in  the  rectum,  by  local  irritation  or  un- 
cleanliness, or  by  iiTitation  of  the  bladder,  are 
exciting  causes  which  are  not  infrequent.  The 
latter  cause  is  indicated  by  another  symptom,  the 
frequent  wetting  of  the  bed  at  night.  Such  a 
symptom  doubly  demands  immediate  attention. 

The  juvenile  parties  so  common  now-a-daj’s,  at 
which  little  ones  of  both  sexes,  of  ages  varying 
from  four  or  five  years  to  ten  or  twelve,  with  won- 
derful precocity  and  truthfulness  imitate  the  con- 
duct of  their  elders  at  fashionable  dinners,  cannot 
he  too  much  deprecated.  Such  associations  of  the 
sexes  have  a strong  tendency  to  develop  prema- 
turely the  distinctive  peculiarities  of  the  sexes. 
This  is  well  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  on  such  oc- 
casions one  of  the  most  common  and  popular  enter- 
tainments is  sham  maiTiages.  Parents  gi’eatly  eiT 
in  encouraging  or  allowing  their  children  to  engage 
in  amusements  of  so  dangerous  a character.  They 
are  productive  of  no  good,  and  are  almost  without 
exception  productive  of  positive  and  serious  injury. 

Modern  modes  of  life,  improper  clothinsf,  the 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


123 


Defective  Scliool  System.  Senile  Sexuality. 

forcing  system  of  cramming  in  schools,  the  im- 
modest example  of  older  persons,  and  especially 
the  irritating,  stimulating  articles  of  diet  which 
are  daily  set  before  children,  as  well  as  older  peo- 
ple, undoubtedly  have  a poAverful  influence  in 
stimulating  the  development  of  the  sexual  pas- 
sions. This  subject  is  again  referred  to  under  the 
heading,  “ Chastity.” 

Obscene  books  and  papers,  lewd  pictures,  and 
evil  communications  are  telling  causes  which  will 
be  further  noticed  elsewhere. 

Senile  Sexuality. — As  with  childhood,  old  age 
is  a period  in  which  the  reproductive  functions  are 
quiescent  unless  unnaturally  stimulated.  Sexual 
life  begins  with  puberty,  and,  in  the  female,  ends 
at  about  the  age  of  forty-flve  years,  the  period 
known  as  the  menopause,  or  tmm  of  life.  At  this 
period,  according  to  the  plainest  indications  of  nat- 
ure, all  functional  activity  should  cease.  If  this 
law  is  disregarded,  disease,  premature  decay,  possi- 
bly local  degenerations,  will  be  sure  to  result.  Nat- 
ure cannot  be  abused  with  impunity. 

The  generative  power  of  the  male  is  retained 
somewhat  longer  than  that  of  the  female,  and  by 
stimulation  may  be  indulged  at  quite  an  advanced 
age,  but  only  at  the  expense  of  shortening  life,  and 
running  the  risk  of  sudden  death.  Says  Parise, 
“ One  of  the  most  important  pieces  of  information 
which  a man  in  years  can  attain  is  ‘to  learn  to 
become  old  betimes,’  if  he  wishes  to  attain  old  age. 


124  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Limit  of  Sexual, Activity.  Marriage. 

Cicero,  we  are  told,  was  asked  if  ke  still  indulged 
in  the  pleasures  of  love.  ' Heaven  forbid,’  replied 
he,  ‘ I have  forsworn  it  as  I would  a savage  and  a 
furious  master.’  ” 

Some  learned  physicians  place  the  proper  limit 
of  man’s  functional  activity  at  fifty  years,  if  he 
would  not  render  himself  guilty  of  shortening  his 
days  by  sensuality.  Other  reasons  for  this  course 
will  appear  hereafter. 

When  the  passions  have  been  indulged,  and  their 
diminishing  vigor  stimulated,  a horrid  disease,  satyr- 
iasis, not  infrequently  seizes  upon  the  imprudent 
individual,  and  drives  him  to  the  perpetration  of 
the  most  loathsome  crimes  and  excesses.  Passions 
cultivated  and  encouraged  by  gratification  through 
life  Avill  thus  sometimes  assert  a total  supremacy 
in  old  age. 

Marriage. — The  scope  and  plan  of  this  work 
will  allow  of  but  the  briefest  possible  consideration 
of  this  subject  upon  which  volumes  have  been 
written,  much  to  no  purpose  other  than  the  multi- 
plication of  books.  We  shall  devote  no  space  to 
consideration  of  the  origin  of  the  institution,  its 
expediency,  or  varied  relations,  as  these  topics  are 
foreign  to  the  character  of  this  work. 

The  primary  object  of  marriage  was,  undoubt- 
edly, the  preservation  of  the  race,  though  there  are 
other  objects  which,  under  special  circumstances, 
may  become  paramount  even  to  this.  These  latter 
we  cannot  consider,  as  only  the  relations  of  the 


OLD  AND  YOUNG.  225 

Time  to  Marry.  Customs  of  Different  Nations. 

reproductive  functions  in  marriage  oome  properly 
within  our  province. 

The  first  physiological  question  to  be  consid- 
ered is  concerning  the  proper  age  for  marriage. 

Time  to  Marry. — Physiology  fixes  with  accu- 
racy the  earliest  period  at  which  marriage  is  ad- 
missible. This  period  is  that  at  which  the  body 
attains  complete  development,  which  is  not  before 
twenty  in  the  female,  and  twenty-four  in  the  male. 

Even  though  the  growth  may  be  completed  before 
these  ages,  ossification  of  the  bones  is  not  fully  ef- 
fected, so  that  development  is  incomplete. 

Amoncr  most  modern  nations,  the  civil  laws  fix- 
in  O'  the  earliest  date  of  marriage  seem  to  have  been 
made  without  any  reference  to  physiology,  or  with 
the  mistaken  notion  that  puberty  and  nubility  are 
identical.  It  is  interesting  to  note  the  different 
ages  established  by  different  nations  for  the  en- 
trance of  the  married  state.  The  degenerating 
Romans  fixed  the  ages  of  legal  marriage  at  thirteen 
for  females,  and  fifteen  for  males.  The  Grecian 
legislator,  Lycurgus,  placed  the  ages  at  seventeen 
for  the  female,  and  thirty-seven  for  the  male. 

Plato  fixed  the  ages  at  twenty  and  thirty  years. 

In  Prussia,  the  respective  ages  are  fifteen  and  nine- 
teen; in  Austria,  sixteen  and  twenty;  in  France, 
sixteen  and  eighteen,  respectively. 

Says  Mayer,  “ In  general,  it  may  be  established 
that  the  normal  epoch  for  marriage  is  the  twentieth 
year  for  women,  and  the  twenty-fourth  for  men.” 

126  rLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Application  of  the  Law  of  Heredity.  Early  Marriage. 

Application  of  the  Law  of  Heredity.— A mo- 
ment’s consideration  of  the  physiology  of  heredity 
will  disclose  a sufficient  reason  why  marriage 
should  be  deferred  until  the  development  of  the 
body  is  wholly  complete.  The  matrimonial  rela- 
tion implies  reproduction.  Reproduction  is  ef- 
fected through  the  union  of  the  ovum  with  the 
zoosperm.  These  elements,  as  we  have  alreadv 
seen,  are  complete  representatives  of  the  individ- 
uals producing  them,  being  composed — as  supposed 
— of  minute  gemmules  which  are  destined  to  be 
developed  into  cells  and  organs  in  the  new  being, 
each  preserving  its  resemblance  to  the  cell  within 
the  parent  which  produced  it.  The  perfection  of 
the  new  being,  then,  must  be  largely  dependent  on 
the  integrity  and  perfection  of  the  sexual  elements. 
If  the  body  is  still  incomplete,  the  reproductive 
elements  must  also  be  incomplete ; and,  in  conse- 
quence, the  progeny  must'  be  equally  immature. 

Early  Marriage. — The  preceding  paragraph  con- 
tains a sufficient  reason  for  condemning  early  mar- 
riage ; that  is,  marriage  before  the  age^  mentioned. 
It  is  probable  that  even  the  ages  of  twenty  and 
twenty-four  are  too  early  for  those  persons  whose 
development  is  uncommonly  slow.  But  there  are 
other  cogent  reasons  for  discountenancing  early 
marriages,  also  drawn  from  the  physiology  of  re- 
production, to  say  nothing  of  the  many  reasons 
which  might  be  urged  on  other  grounds. 

1.  During  the  development  of  the  body,  all  its 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


127 


Effects  of  Early  Marriage.  Mutual  Adaptation. 

energies  are  required  in  perfecting  the  various  tis- 
sues and  organs.  There  is  no  material  to  be  spared 
for  any  foreign  purpose. 

2.  The  reproductive  act  is  the  most  exhaustive 
of  all  vital  acts.  Its  effect  upon  an  undeveloped 
person  is  to  retard  growth,  weaken  the  constitu- 
tion, and  dwarf  the  intellect. 

3.  The  effects  upon  the  female  are  even  worse 
than  those  upon  the.  male ; for,  in  addition  to  the 
exhaustion  of  nervous  energy,  she  is  compelled  to 
endure  the  burdens  and  pains  of  child-bearing 
when  utterly  unprepared  for  such  a task,  to  say 
nothino-  of  her  unfitness  for  the  other  duties  of  a 

O 

mother.  With  so  many  girl-mothers  in  the  land, 
is  it  any  wonder  that  there  are  so  many  thousands 
of  unfortunate  individuals  who  never  seem  to  get 
beyond  childhood  in  their  development  ? Many  a 
man  at  forty  years  is  as  childish  in  mind,  and  as 
immature  in  judgment,  as  a well-developed  lad  of' 
eighteen  would  be.  They  are  like  withered  fruit 
plucked  before  it  was  ripe ; they  can  never  become 
like  the  mellow  and  luscious  fruit  allowed  to  ma- 
ture properly.  They  are  unalterably  molded ; and 
the  saddest  fact  of  all  is  that  they  will  give  to 
their  children  the  same  imperfections ; and  the 
children  will  transmit  them  to  another  generation, 
and  so  the  evil  will  go  on  increasing,  unless 
checked  by  extinction. 

Mutual  Adaptation. — Another  question  of  very 
great  importance  is  that  of  the  mutual  adaptation 


128  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

An  Erroneous  Theory.  Duplicates  not  Desirable. 

of  the  individuals.  To  this  question  we  can  devote 
but  a very  brief  consideration,  and  that  will  be 
more  of  the  nature  of  criticism  than  of  a set  of 
formal  rules  for  governing  matrimonial  alliances. 

A writer  of  some  note,  whose  work  on  this  and 
kindred  subjects  has  had  quite  an  extensive  circu- 
lation, advocates  with  great  emphasis  the  theory 
that  parties  contemplating  marriage  should  in  all 
cases  select  for  partners  individuals  as  nearly  like 
themselves  as  possible.  Exact  duplicates  would, 
in  his  opinion,  make  the  most  perfect  union  at- 
tainable. To  make  his  theory  practicable,  he  is 
obliged  to  fall  back  upon  phrenology  ; and  directs 
that  a man  seekinsf  a wife,  or  a woman  seeking  a 
husband,  should  obtain  a phrenological  chart  of  his 
head  and  then  send  it  around  until  a counterpart 
is  found.  If  the  circle  of  one’s  acquaintance 
is  so  fortunate  as  to  contain  no  one  cursed  with 
the  same  propensities  or  idiosyncrasies  as  himself, 
the  newspapers  are  to  be  brought  into  requisition 
as  a medium  of  advertising. 

If  so  strange  a doctrine  as  this  were  advocated 
by  an  obscure  individual  in  some  secluded  hamlet, 
or  found  only  in  the  musty  volumes  of  some  for- 
gotten author,  it  surely  would  be  unworthy  of 
notice  ; but  coming  as  it  does  from  a quite  popular 
writer,  and  being  coupled  with  a great  amount  of 
really  valuable  truth,  it  is  sufficiently  important  to 
deserve  refutation.  A brief  glance  at  the  practical 
working  of  the  theory  will  be  a sufficient' exposure 
of  its  falsity. 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


129 


A Criticism.  A Cause  of  Unbaianced  Minds. 

According  to  this  rule,  a man  or  woman  of  large 
combativeness  should  select  a partner  equally  in- 
clined to  antagonism ; then  we  should  have — 
what  ? the  elements  of  a happy,  contented,  harmo- 
nious life  ? No  ; instead,  either  a speedy  lawsuit 
for  divorce,  or  a continual  domestic  broil,  the 
nearest  approach  to  a mundane  purgatory  possible. 
The  selfish,  close-fisted,  miserly  money-catcher 
must  marry  a woman  equally  sordid  and  stingy. 
Then  together  they  could  hoard  up,  for  moths  and 
rust  to  destroy,  or  for  interested  relatives  to  quar- 
rel over,  the  pictorial  greenback  and  the  glittering 
dollar,  each  scrimping  the  other  down  to  the  finest 
point  above  starvation  and  freezing,  and  finally 
dying,  to  be  forgotten  as  soon  as  dead  by  their 
fellow-men,  and  sent  among  the  goats  at  the  great 
assizes.  A shiftless  spendthrift  must  choose  for  a 
helpmeet  (?)  an  equally  slovenly,  thriftless  wife. 
A man  with  a crotchet  should  select  a partner  with 
the  same  morbid  fancy.  A man  whose  whole  men- 
tal composition  gravitates  behind  his  ears,  must 
find  a mate  with  the  same  animal  disposition.  An 
individual  whose  mental  organization  is  sadly  un- 
balanced, is  advised  to  seek  for  a wife  a woman 
with  the  same  deficiencies  and  abnormalities. 

Any  one  can  see  at  a glance  the  domestic  dis- 
asters which  such  a plan  of  proceeding  would 
entail.  Men  and  women  of  unbalanced  tempera- 
ments would  become  more  unbalanced.  An  indi- 
vidual of  erroneous  tendencies,  instead  of  having 
9 


180 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOB 


A Degenerating  Plan*  Opposites  not  Desirable. 

tlie  constant  check  of  the  example  and  admoni- 
tions of  a mate  of  opposite  tendencies,  would  be, 
by  constant  example,  hastened  onward  in  his  sin- 
ful ways.  Thus,  to  all  hut  a very  small  propor- 
tion of  humanity,  the  married  state  would  be  one 
of  infelicity  and  degeneration. 

And  what  would  be  the  pi’ogeny  of  such  unions  ? 
The  peculiarities  and  propensities  of  the  parents, 
instead  of  being  modified  and  perhaps  obliterated  in 
the  childi'en  by  corresponding  differences  in  charac- 
ter, would  be  doubly  exaggerated.  The  children  of 
selfish  parents  would  be  thieves ; those  of  spend- 
thrifts, beggars ; those  of  crotchety  parents,  mono- 
maniacs ; those  born  of  sensual  parents,  beastly 
debauchees.  A few  generations  of  such  a degener- 
ating process  would  either  extenninate  the  x’ace  or 
drive  it  back  to  Darwin’s  ancestral  ape. 

It  must  not  be  inferred,  fi’om  our  strictures  upon 
the  theory  mentioned,  that  we  would  advocate 
the  opposite  course,  that  is,  the  contraction  of  mar- 
riage by  individuals  of  wholly  dissimilar  tastes, 
aims,  and  temperaments.  Such  alliances  would 
doubtless  be  quite  as  wret  led  in  their  results  as 
those  of  an  opposite  ch  -er.  It  's  with  this  as 
with  nearly  aU  other  t ojv'  uS  j the, - Tie  course  lies 

between  the  two  extie  .e  Pari-^--  who  are  nego- 

• - ' ^ 

tiating  a life  partnersi^q^tyho’ ' careful  to  as- 
sure themselves  that  there  . jufficient  degree 

of  congeniality  of  temperan^vi.  o make  ch  close 
and  continued  association  agieeable.  , 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


131 


disparity  of  Age.  Evils  of  Ill-Mated  Marriages. 

Disparity  of  Age. — Both  nature  and  custom 
seem  to  indicate  that  the  husband  should  be  a little 
older  than  the  wife.  Several  reasons  might  be 
given  for  this ; but  we  need  not  mention  them. 
When,  however,  the  difference  of  ages  reaches  such 
an  extreme  as  thirty,  forty,  even  fifty  or  more 
years,  nature  is  abused,  good  taste  is  offended,  and 
even  morality  is  shocked.  Such  ill-sorted  alliances 
are  disastrous  to  both  parties,  and  scarcely  more  to 
one  than  the  other.  An  old  man  who  forms  a union 
with  a young  girl  scarce  out  of  her  teens — or  even 
younger — can  scarcely  have  any  very  elevated 
motive  for  his  action,  and  he  certainly  exposes  him- 
self to  the  greatest  risk  of  sudden  death,  while  in- 
suring his  premature  decay.  A king  once  chai-ac- 
terized  such  a course  as  “the  pleasantest  form  of 
suicide.”  It  is  doubtless  suicidal,  but  we  suspect 
there  are  some  phases  of  such  an  unnatural  union 
which  are  not  very  enjoyable. 

One  reason  of  the  great  danger  of  such  marriages 
to  the  did  is  the  exhaustive  effects  of  the  sexual  act. 
As  previously  noted,  in  some  animals  it  causes  im- 
mediate death.  Di  Acton  makes  the  followinof 
pertinent  n narks 

“So  seric  f,  indee(?"ls''tbe  paroxysm  of  the  ner- 
vous systc  dnceo.  A fie  sexual  spasm,  that  its 
immediate  net  always  unattended  with 

dange?  and  .n.  oh  weak  hearts  have  died  in 
the  a j.  Ever}  nov, ' and  then  we  learn  that  men 
are  found  .ead  on  the  nitrlit  of  their  weddin"” 

O O 


132 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 


Effect  of  Late  Marriages  on  Men.  Sold  for  Gold. 

“ However  exceptional  these  cases  are,  they  are 
warnings,  and  should  serve  to  show  that  an  act 
which  may  destroy  the  weak  should  not  be  tam- 
pered with,  even  by  the  strong.” 

“ There  are  old  men  who  many  young  wives, 
and  who  pay  the  penalty  by  becoming  martyrs  to 
paralysis,  softening  of  the  brain,  and  driveling 
idiocy.” 

Dr.  Gardner  quotes  the  Abbd  Maury,  as  follows : 
“ I hold  as  certain  that  after  fifty  years  of  age  a 
man  of  sense  ought  to  renounce  the  pleasures  of 
love.  Each  time  that  he  allows  himself  this  grati- 
fication is  a 2odlet  of  earth  thrown  upon  his  coffin.’' 

Dr.  Gardner  further  says : “ Alliances  of  this  sort 
have  taken  place  in  every  epoch  of  humanity,  from 
the  time  of  the  patriarchs  to  the  present  day, — alli- 
ances repugnant  to  nature, — between  men  border- 
ing on  decrepitude  and  poor  young  girls,  who  are 
sacrificed  by  their  parents  for  position,  or  who  sell 
themselves  for  gold.  There  is  in  these  monstrous 
alliances  something  which  we  know  not  how  to 
brand  sufficiently  energetically,  in  considering  the 
reciprocal  relations  of  the  pair  thus  wrongfulh' 
united,  and  the  lot  of  the  children  which  ma}- 
result  from  them.  Let  us  admit,  for  an  instant, 
that  the  marriage  has  been  concluded  with  the  full 
consent  of  the  young  girl,  and  that  no  external 
pressure  has  been  exerted  upon  her  Avill — as  is  gen- 
erally the  rule — it  will  none  the  less  happen  that 
reflection  and  experience  will  tardily  bring  regi’ets. 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


133 


Happiness  Impossible.  Efifects  on  Children. 

and  the  sharper  as  the  evil  will  be  without  reme- 
dy ; but  if  compulsion,  or  what  is  often  the  same 
thing,  persuasion,  had  been  employed  to  obtain  the 
consent  which  the  law  demands,  the  result  would 
have  been  more  prompt  and  vehement.  From  this 
moment  the  common  life  becomes  odious  to  the  un- 
happy victim,  and  culpable  hopes  will  arise  in  her 
desolate  heart,  so  heavy  is  the  chain  she  carries. 
In  fact,  the  love  of  the  old  man  becomes  ridiculous 
and  horrid  to  her,  and  we  cannot  sufficiently  sym- 
pathize with  the  unfortunate  person  whose  duty  [?] 
it  is  to  submit  to  it.  If  we  think  of  it  an  instant, 
we  shall  perceive  a repulsion  such  as  is  only  in- 
spired by  the  idea  of  incest.  ...  So  what  do 
we  oftenest  observe  ? Either  the  woman  violently 
breaks  the  cursed  bands,  or  she  resigns  herself  to 
them  ; and  then  she  seeks  to  fill  up  the  void  in  her 
soul  by  adulterous  amours.  Such  is  the  somber 
perspective  of  the  sacrilegious  unions  which  set  at 
defiance  the  most  respectable  instincts,  the  most 
noble  desires,  and  the  most  legitimate  hopes.  Such, 
too,  are  the  terrible  chastisements  reserved  for  the 
thoughtlessness  or  foolish  pride  of  these  dissolute 
gray-beards,  who  prodigalize  the  last  breath  of  their 
life  in  search  of  depraved  voluptuousness.” 

The  parents,  the  perpetrators  of  such  an  outrage 
against  nature,  are  not  the  only  sufferers.  Look  at 
the  children  which  they  bring  into  the  world ! Let 
Dr.  Gardner  speak  again ; — 

“ Children,  the  issue  of  old  men,  are  habitually 


IM 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 


Senile  Children.  Effect  of  Age  on  Seminal  Fluid. 

marked  by  a serious  and  sad  air  spread  over  their 
countenances,  which  is  manifestly  very  opposite  to 
the  infantile  expression  which  so  delights  one  in 
the  little  children  of  the  same  age  engendered  under 
other  conditions.  • As  they  grow  up,  their  featui'es 
take  on  more  and  more  the  senile  character;  so 
much  so  that  every  one  remarks  it,  and  the  world 
regards  it  as  a natural  thing.  The  old  mothers  pre- 
tend that  it  is  an  old  head  on  young  shoulders. 
They  predict  an  early  death  to  these  children,  and 
the  event  frequently  justifies  the  horoscope.  Our 
attention  has  for  many  years  been  fixed  upon  this 
point,  and  we  can  affirm  that  the  greater  part  of 
the  offspring  of  these  connections  are  weak,  torpid, 
lymphatic,  if  not  scrofulous,  and  do  not  promise  a 
long  career.” 

In  old  age  the  seminal  fluid  becomes  greatly  de- 
teriorated. Even  at  the  best,  its  component  ele- 
ments could  only  represent  decrepitude  and  inffi-m- 
ity,  degeneration  and  senility.  In  view  of  such 
facts,  says  Dr.  Acton, — 

“We  are,  therefore,  forced  to  the  conclusion  that 
the  children  of  old  men  have  an  inferior  chance  of 
life ; and  facts  daily  observed  confinn  our  deduc- 
tions. Look  but  at  the  progeny  of  such  marriages  ; 
what  is  its  value  ? As  far  as  I have  seen,  it  is  the 
worst  kind — spoilt  childhood,  feeble  and  precocious 
youth,  extravagant  manhood,  early  and  premature 
death.” 

Unions  of  an  opposite  character  to  those  just  con- 


OLD  A JVD  TO  UJSr G . 


135 


YouDg  Husbands  and  Old  Wives.  A Domestic  Hell. 

sidered,  wherein  a young  man  marries  a woman 
much  older  than  himself,  ar-e  more  rare  than  those 
of  the  other  class.  They  are,  perhaps,  less  deplor- 
able in  their  physical  effects,  but  still  highly  repre- 
hensible. They  are  seldom  prompted  by  pure 
motives,  and  can  be  productive  of  no  good.  Chil- 
dren resulting  from  such  unions  are  notably  weak, 
unbalanced,  and  sorry  specimens  of  humanity. 

We  have  scarcely  referred  to  the  domestic  misery 
which  may  result  from  these  disgraceful  unions. 
If  a young  girl  is  brought  home  by  a widower  to 
preside  over  his  groAvn-up  daughters,  perhaps  old 
enough  to  be  her  mother,  all  the  elements  are  pro- 
vided for  such  a domestic  hell  as  could  only  be 
equaled  by  circumstances  precisely  similar.  If 
children  are  born,  neither  father  nor  mother  is  fit  to 
act  the  part  of  a parent  to  them.  The  father,  by 
reason  of  his  age,  is  fitful,  uncertain,  and  childish ; 
to-day  too  lenient,  to-morrow  too  exacting.  The 
mother  is  pettish,  childish,  indulgent,  impatient,  and 
as  unskilled  in  government  as  unfit  for  mother- 
hood. In  the  midst  of  all  this  misrule,  the  child 
grows  up  undisciplined,  uncultivated,  unsubdued ; 
a misery  to  his  parents,  a disgrace  to  his  friends,  a 
dishonor  to  himself. 

“What  shall  I do  with  him?  and  what  will  he 
do  with  me  ? ” was  the  question  asked  by  a girl  of 
eighteen  whose  parents  were  urging  her  to  marry 
an  old  man ; and  every  young  woman  would  do  well 
to  propound  it  under  similar  circumstances. 


136 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 


No  Set  Buies  Useful.  Courtship. 

Were  we  disposed  to  define  more  specifically  the 
conditions  necessary  to  secure  the  most  harmonious 
matrimonial  unions,  it  would  be  useless  to  do  so ; 
for  unions  of  this  sort  never  have  been,  and  never 
will  be — with  rare  exceptions — formed  in  accord- 
ance with  a prescribed  method  independent  of  any 
emotional  bias.  Nor  is  it  probable  that  such  a plan 
would  result  in  remedying,  in  any  appreciable  de- 
gree, existing  evils.  It  is  a fact  too  patent  to  be 
ignored  that  a very  large  share  of  the  unhappiness 
in  the  world  arises  from  ill-mated  marriages ; but 
it  is  also  true  that  nearly  the  whole  of  this  unhap- 
piness might  be  averted  if  the  parties  themselves 
would  endeavor  to  lessen  the  difierences  between 
them  by  mutual  approximation. 

Courtship. — We  cannot  well  avoid  devoting  a 
few  paragraphs  to  a part  of  the  subject  so  impor- 
tant as  this,  especially  as  it  aflbrds  an  opportunity 
for  pointing  out  some  evils  too  patent  and  too  per- 
ilous to  be  ignored. 

Courting,  in  the  sense  in  which  we  use  the  word, 
is  distinctly  an  American  custom.  The  social  laws 
of  other  civilized  countries  are  such  as  to  preclude 
the  possibility  of  the  almost  unrestrained  associa- 
tion of  the  sexes  in  youth  which  we  see  in  this 
country.  We  do  not  olier  this  fact  as  an  argument 
in  favor  of  foreign  social  customs,  by  any  means, 
although  in  this  one  particular  they  often  present 
great  advantages,  since  in  the  majority  of  instances 
other  evils  as  gi'eat  or  even  greater  are  encouraged. 


OLD  AND  TO  UNO. 


137 


Evils  of  Courting.  Ancient  Customs. 

We  mention  the  fact  simply  for  the  purpose  of 
bringing  into  bold  relief  the  evils  of  the  character- 
istic American  looseness  in  this  particular. 

A French  matron  would  be  horrified  at  the  idea 
of  a young  man  asking  her  daughter  to  accompany 
him  alone  on  an  evening  ride,  to  a lecture,  concert, 
or  other  place  of  amusement,  and  much  more  should 
he  ask  the  privilege  of  sitting  up  all  night  in  the 
parlor  with  the  light  turned  down,  after  the  rest  of 
the  family  had  retired.  Among  respectable  people 
in  France  such  liberties  are  not  tolerated ; and  a 
young  man  who  should  propose  such  things  would 
be  dismissed  from  the  house  instantly,  and  would 
be  regarded  as  unfit  for  association  with  virtuous 
people.  If  a young  man  caUs  upon  a young  lady 
for  the  purpose  of  making  her  acquaintance,  he  sees 
both  her  and  her  mother,  or  an  aunt  or  older  sister. 
He  never  sees  her  alone.  If  he  invites  her  to  ride, 
or  to  accompany  him  to  an  entertainment  of  any 
sort,  he  must  always  invite  her  lady  friend  also ; 
she  goes  along  at  any  rate.  There  is  afforded  no 
chance  for  solitary  moonlight  strolls  or  rides,  nor 
any  other  of  the  similar  opportunities  made  so  com- 
mon by  American  courting  customs.  We  are  no 
advocates  of  the  formal  modes  of  conti’acting  mat- 
rimonial alliances  common  among  many  nations, 
and  illustrations  of  which  we  find  at  all  ages  of  the 
world.  For  example,  among  the  ancient  Assyrians 
it  was  a custom  to  sell  wives  to  the  highest  bidder, 
at  auction,  the  sums  received  for  the  handsomer 


138 


FLJIN  FACTS  FOB. 


Selling  'Wives.  Betrothal  of  Infants. 

one  being  given  to  tbe  less  favored  ones  as  a dowry, 
to  secure  a husband  for  every  woman.  The  same 
custom  prevailed  in  Babylon  in  ancient  times,  and 
has  been  practiced  in  modern  times  in  Russia.  At 
St.  Petersburg,  not  many  years  ago,  an  annual  sale 
of  wives  was  held  on  Whit  Sunday,  after  the  same 
plan  followed  by  the  Assyrians. 

Among  the  eaily  Jews  it  seems  to  have  been  the 
custom  for  parents  to  select  wives  for  their  sons. 
In  the  case  of  Isaac,  this  important  matter  was 
intrusted  to  an  old  and  experienced  servant,  who 
was  undoubtedly  considered  much  more  competent 
to  select  a wife  for  the  young  man  than  he  was 
himself.  The  same  custom  has  been  h.'inded  down 
even  to  the  present  time  among  some  oriental  na- 
tions. In  many  cases  the  parties  are  not  allowed 
to  see  each  other  until  after  the  wedding  ceremony 
is  completed.  The  Hungarians  often  betroth  their 
cliildren  while  they  are  yet  in  their  cradles,  as  did 
the  Mexicans  and  Brazilians  of  the  last  centuiy. 
In  some  countries  it  has  even  been  customary  to 
betroth  girls  conditionally  before  they  were  born. 
The  primitive  Moravians  seem  to  have  adhered  to 
the  ancient  Jewish  custom  in  some  degree,  though 
making  the  selection  of  a wife  a matter  of  chance. 
The  old  people  did  all  the  courting  there  was  done, 
which  was  not  much.  When  a young  man  desired 
a wife,  a helpmeet  was  selected  for  him  by  casting 
lots  among  the  marriageable  young  ladies  of  the 
community,  and  the  young  man  was  obliged  to 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


139 


Moravian  Customs.  A Superstitions  Rite. 

abide  by  the  decision,  it  being  supposed  that  Prov- 
idence controlled  the  selection.  We  are  not  pre- 
pared to  say  that  the  young  man  ran  any  greater 
risk  of  getting  an  uncongenial  or  undesirable  life 
companion  by  this  mode  of  selection  than  by  the 
more  modern  modes  in  vogue  among  us. 

As  before  remarked,  we  do  not  present  these 
customs  as  illustrations  of  what  might  be  consid- 
ered a proper  mode  of  conducting  the  preliminary 
steps  of  matrimonial  alliances.  On  the  contrary, 
we  unhesitatingly  pronounce  them  decidedly  ob- 
jectionable on  moral  grounds  if  not  on  others,  and 
we  can  readily  see  that  such  unions  must  have 
been  in  many  cases  exceedingly  unsatisfactory. 

In  various  other  countries,  marriage  customs  quite 
the  opposite  from  those  described  have  been  in 
vogue.  In  Irving’s  “ Knickerbocker’s  History  of 
New  York,”  a somewhat  humorous  account  is  given 
of  a custom  which  has  prevailed  in  some  parts  of 
this  country  as  well  as  others,  even  within  the 
memory  of  persons  living  at  the  present  day,  and 
is,  indeed,  said  to  be  not  yet  altogether  obsolete  in 
Finland.  The  author,  in  dwelling  upon  the  social 
customs  of  the  early  Dutch  settlers  of  New  York, 
describes  “ a singular  custom  prevalent  among  them, 
commonly  known  by  the  name  of  bundling, — a 
superstitious  rite  observed  by  the  young  people  of 
both  sexes,  with  which  they  usually  terminated 
their  festivities,  and  which  was  kept  up  with  re- 


140 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 


Primitive  Customs.  Long  Courtships. 

ligious  strictness  by  the  more  bigoted  part  of  the 
community.  This  ceremony  was  likewise,  in  those 
primitive  times,  considered  as  an  indispensable  pre- 
liminary to  matrimony,  their  courtships  commenc- 
ing where  ours  usually  finish, — by  which  means 
they  acquired  that  intimate  acquaintance  with  each 
other’s  good  qualities  before  marriage,  which  has 
been  pronounced  by  philosophers  the  sure  basis  of 
a happy  union.  Thus  early  did  this  cunning  and 
ingenious  people  display  a shrewdness  of  making  a 
bargain,  which  has  ever  since  distinguished  them.” 

“ To  this  sagacious  custom,  therefore,  do  I chiefiy 
attribute  the  unparalleled  increase  of  the  Yanokie 
or  Yankee  race ; for  it  is  a certain  fact,  well  au- 
thenticated by  court  records  and  parish  registers, 
that,  wherever  the  practice  of  bundling  prevailed, 
there  was  an  amazing  number  of  sturdy  brats  an- 
nually born  into  the  State,  without  the  license  of 
the  law,  or  the  benefit  of  clergy.” 

Long  Cora’tslups. — Chiefly  for  the  reasons  pre- 
sented in  the  preceding  paragraphs,  we  are  opposed 
to  long  courtships  and  long  engagements.  They 
are  productive  of  no  good,  and  are  not  infrequently 
tlie  occasion  of  much  evil.  There  may  be  circum- 
stajices  which  render  a prolonged  engagement  nec- 
essary and  advisable ; but,  in  general,  they  are  to 
be  avoided. 

On  the  other  hand,  hasty  marriages  are  still 
more  to  be  deprecated,  especially  when,  as  is  too 
commonly  the  case,  the  probability  is  so  great  that 
passion  is  the  actuating  motive  far  more  than  true 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


141 


Matrimonial  CSiancea.  Emotions  alone  not  a Safe  Guide. 

love.  Marriage  is  a matter  of  most  serious  conse- 
quences, and  deserving  of  the  most  careful  deliber- 
ation. Too  often  matrimony  is  entered  upon  with- 
out any  more  substantial  assurance  of  happiness  as 
the  result  than  the  individual  has  of  securing  a 
valuable  prize  who  buys  a ticket  in  a lottery 
scheme.  In  the  majority  of  cases,  young  people 
learn  more  of  each  other’s  real  character  within  six 
weeks  after  marriage  than  they  discovered  during 
as  many  months  of  courting.  To  every  young  man 
and  woman  we  say.  Look  well  before  you  leap ; 
consider  well,  carefully,  and  prayerfully.  A leap 
in  the  dark  is  a fearful  risk,  and  will  be  far  more 
likely  to  land  you  in  a domestic  purgatoiy  than 
anywhere  else.  Do  not  be  dazzled  by  a handsome 
face,  an  agreeable  address,  a brilliant  or  piquant 
manner.  Choose,  rather,  modesty,  simplicity,  sin- 
cerity, morality,  qualities  of  heart  and  mind,  rather 
than  exterior  embellishments. 

“It  is  folly,”  suggests  a friend,  “ to  give  advice 
on  these  subjects,  for  no  one  will  follow  advice  on 
this  point,  no  matter  how  sensible  and  reasonable 
he  may  be  on  all  other  subjects.  The  emotions 
carry  the  individual  away,  and  the  reason  loses 
control.”  This  is  all  too  true,  in  nearly  all  cases. 
We  believe  in  affection.  The  emotions  have  their 
part  to  act.  We  have  no  sympathy  with  the  the- 
ories of  those  who  will  have  all  marriages  made  by 
rule.  But  reason  must  be  allowed  a voice  in  the 
matter ; and  although  there  may  be  a time  when 


14-2 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 


Control  the  Emotions.  Flirtation. 

the  overwhelming  force  of  the  emotions  may  force 
the  reason  and  judgment  into  the  background, 
there  has  been  a time  previous  when  the  judg- 
ment might  have  held  control.  Let  every  young 
man  and  woman  be  most  scrupulously  careful  how 
he  allows  emotional  excitement  to  gain  the  ascend- 
ency. When  once  reason  is  stifled,  the  individual 
is  in  a most  precarious  situation.  It  is  far  better 
and  easier  to  prevent  the  danger  than  to  escape 
from  it. 

Flirtation. — We  cannot  find  language  suffi- 
ciently emphatic  to  express  proper  condemnation 
of  one  of  the  most  popular  forms  of  amusement 
indulged  in  at  the  present  day  in  this  country, 
under  the  guise  of  innocent  association  of  the 
sexes.  By  the  majority  of  people,  flirtation  is 
looked  upon  as  harmless,  if  not  useful,  as  some 
even  consider,  claiming  that  the  experience  gained 
by  such  associations  is  valuable  to  young  persons, 
by  making  them  familiar  with  the  customs  of  so- 
ciety and  the  ways  of  the  world.  We  have  not 
the  slightest  hesitation  in  pronouncing  flirtation  as 
pernicious  in  the  extreme.  It  exerts  a malign  in- 
fluence alike  upon  the  mental,  the  moral,  and  the 
physical  constitution  of  those  who  indulge  it.  The 
young  lady  who  has  become  infatuated  with  a pas- 
sion for  flirting,  courting  the  society  of  ^mung  men 
simply  for'  the  pleasure  derived  from  their  atten- 
tions, is  educating  herself  in  a school  wliich  will 
totally  unfit  her  for  the  enjoyment  of  domestic 


OLD  AND  TOUNG. 


143 


Evils  of  Flirtation.  The  Mala  Flirt. 

peace  and  happiness  should  she  have  all  the  condi- 
tions necessary  for  such  enjoyment  other  than 
those  which  she  herself  must  furnish.  More 
than  this,  she  is  very  likely  laying  the  foundation 
for  lifelong  disease  by  the  dissipation,  late  hours, 
late  suppers,  evening  exposures,  fashionable  dress- 
ing, etc.,  the  almost  certain  accompaniments  of 
the  vice  we  are  considering.  She  is  surely  sacri- 
ficing a life  of  real  true  happiness  for  the  transient 
fascinations  of  unreal  enjoyment,  pernicious  excite- 
ment. 

It  may  be  true,  and  undoubtedly  is  case, 
that  the  greater  share  of  the  guilt  of  flirtation  lies 
at  the  door  of  the  female  sex ; but  there  do  exist 
such  detestable  creatures  as  male  flirts.  In  gen- 
eral, the  male  flirt  is  a much  less  worthy  charactei' 
than  the  young  lady  who  makes  a pastime  of  flir- 
tation. He  is  something  more  than  a flirt.  In 
nine  cases  out  of  ten,  he  is  a rake  as  well.  His  ob- 
ject in  flirting  is  to  gratify  a mean  propensity  at 
the  expense  of  those  who  are  pure  and  unsophisti- 
cated. He  is  skilled  in  the  arts  of  fascination  and 
intrigue.  Slowly  he  winds  his  coils  about  his  vic- 
tim, and  before  she  is  aware  of  his  real  character, 
she  has  lost  her  own. 

Such  wretches  ought  to  be  punished  in  a purga- 
tory by  themselves,  made  seven  times  hotter  than 
for  ordinary  criminals.  Society  is  full  of  these 
lecherous  villains.  They  insinuate  themselves  into 
the  drawing-rooms  of  the  most  respectable  fami- 


144 


FLAIN  FACTS  FOR 


A Loathaome  Social  Leper.  Youthful  Flirtatious. 

lies ; they  are  always  on  hand  at  social  gatherings 
of  every  sort.  They  haunt  the  ball-room,  the  the- 
ater, and  the  church,  when  they  can  forward  their 
infamous  plans  by  seeming  to  be  pious.  Not  in- 
frequently they  are  well  supplied  with  a stock  of 
pious  cant,  which  they  employ  on  occasion  to 
make  an  impression.  They  are  the  sharks  of  so- 
ciety, and  often  seize  in  their  voracious  maws  the 
fairest  and  brightest  ornaments  of  a community. 
The  male  flirt  is  a monster.  Every  man  ought  to 
despise  him ; and  every  woman  ought  to  spurn 
him  as  a loathsome  social  leper. 

Youtliful  Flirtatious. — Flii-ting  is  not  confined 
to  young  men  and  women.  The  contagion  extends 
to  little  boys  and  girls,  whose  heads  ought  to  be  as 
empty  of  all  thoughts  of  sexual  relations  as  the 
■vacuum  of  an  air-pump  of  air.  The  intimate  as- 
sociation of  young  boys  and  girls  in  our  common 
schools,  and,  indeed,  in  the  majority  of  educational 
institutions,  gives  abundant  opportunity  for  the 
fostering  of  this  kind  of  a spirit,  so  prejudicial  to 
healthful  mental  and  moral  development.  Every 
educator  who  is  alive  to  the  objects  and  interests 
of  his  profession  knows  too  well  the  baneful  influ- 
ence of  these  pi’emature  and  pernicious  tendencies. 
Many  times  has  the  teacher  watched  ■with  a sad 
heart  the  withering  of  all  his  hopes  for  the  in- 
tellectual progress  of  a natui'ally  gifted  scholar 
by  this  blighting  influence.  The  most  dangerous 
period  for  boys  and  girls  exposed  to  temptations  of 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


145 


A Critical  Period.  Scliool  Association  of  the  Sexes. 

this  sort  is  that  just  following  puberty,  or  between 
the  ages  of  twelve  and  eighteen  or  twenty.  This 
period,  a prominent  educator  in  one  of  our  Western 
States  once  denominated,  not  inappropriately,  “ the 
agonizing  period  of  human  puppy  hood.”  If  this 
critical  period  is  once  safely  passed,  the  individual 
is  compai'atively  safe;  but  how  many  fail  to  pass 
through  the  ordeal  unseared ! 

The  most  painful  phase  of  this  subject  is  the 
tacit — even,  in  many  cases,  active — encouragement 
which  too  many  parents  give  their  children  in  this 
very  direction,  seemingly  in  utter  ignorance  of  the 
enormity  of  the  evil  whi  ch  they  are  winking  at  or 
fostering.  Parents  need  enlightenment  on  this  sub- 
ject, and  need  to  be  aroused  to  the  fact  that  it  is 
one  of  the  most  momentous  questions  that  can 
arise  in  the  rearing  and  training  of  children. 

Scliool  Association  of  the  Sexes. — The  subject 
of  the  co-education  of  the  sexes  has  been  discussed 
from  numerous  stand-points.  Among  other  phases 
of  the  subject  to  be  considered  is  the  moral  influence 
upon  each  sex.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the 
natural  plan  for  the  education  of  children  contem- 
plates their  association  during  the  years  of  growth 
and  development,  mental,  moral,  and  physical.  It 
is  an  easy  deduction  that  there  must  be  certain  ad- 
vantages from  this  natural  order  of  things.  There 
are,  undoubtedly,  such  advantages;  but  the  obser- 
vation of  every  teacher  of  experience  must  have  con- 
vinced him  that  there  are  also  certain  evils  which 
10 


146 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOB 


Family  Familiarities.  Decline  in  Modesty. 

are  liable  to  arise  out  of  this  arrangement,  some  of 
which  are  of  a very  grave  character. 

The  evils  referred  to,  hoAvever,  in  our  opinion  arise 
from  faulty  management  on  the  part  of  teachers  and 
others  who  have  the  care  of  young  persons  during 
the  period  when  they  are  acquiring  an  education. 
The  familiarities  which  are  allowable  in  the  family 
circle,  under  the  eye  of  watcliful  parents  and  the  re- 
straints of  close  relationship,  may  tend  to  virtue; 
but  the  same  familiarities  transferred  to  the  school- 
room or  the  boarding-house,  become  a broad  step- 
ping-stone to  vice.  It  is  a neglect  of  this  fact  or  a 
disposition  to  ignore  it,  that  leads  to  the  worst  evils 
which  grow  out  of  the  association  of  the  sexes  dur- 
ing school-life. 

The  freedom  of  manner  which  is  often  exhibitcil 
by  the  youth  of  opposite  sex  toward  each  other  in 
their  associations  at  school  as  well  as  in  the  parties 
and  social  gatherings  which  grow  out  of  the  ac- 
quaintances formed  at  school,  is  one  of  the  greatest 
foes  to  virtue.  The  marked  decline  in  modesty  and 
of  deportment  in  the  young,  visible  to  all  observing 
and  reflecting  persons,  during  the  last  quarter  of  a 
century,  is  a painful  evidence  of  the  tendency  of  the 
times  in  a direction  contrary  to  pure  and  healthy 
morals.  A certain  boldness  of  manner  which  a quar- 
ter of  a century  ago  would  have  been  fatal  to  the 
reputation  of  any  young  wmman,  has  become  exceed- 
ingly common  among  all  classes  of  society,  and,  in- 
deed, is  looked  upon  bv  many  as  an  evidence  of 


OLD  AND  YOUNO. 


147 


Improper  Training.  Evil  Fruit. 

“smartness.”  We  believe  it  to  be  the  solemn  duty 
of  every  parent  to  raise  a voice  of  warning  and  re- 
straint against  this  grooving  evil  before  it  shall  have 
assumed  such  proportions  as  to  become  uncontrolla- 
ble. This  deterioration  in  manners  is  often  the  re- 
sult of  improper  training  or  discipline  at  school.  A 
little  boy  or  girl  leaves  the  parental  roof  modest, 
even  to  bashfulness,  respectful  to  elders,  and  reserved 
in  manner  to  persons  of  the  opposite  sex.  In  a few 
weeks  or  months  what  a change  is  wrought!  The 
blushing  cheek,  nature’s  sign  of  innocent  shame- 
facedness, is  no  longer  seen.  The  respectful  and 
deferential  manner  and  bashful  mien  have  quite 
disappeared.  Deteriorating  influences  have  been  at 
work,  and  a mischief  has  been  wrought  which  may 
bear  its  evil  fruit  during  many  long  years  to  come. 

Parents  and  teachers,  and  all  who  have  any- 
thing to  do  in  caring  for  the  young  during  their 
early  years,  ought  to  labor  earnestly  to  erect  a bar- 
rier against  these  demoralizing  influences. 

Another  question  of  importance  in  connection 
with  the  co-education  of  the  sexes  is  the  effect  upon 
the  mental  and  physical  development  of  women.  It 
has  been  claimed,  and  by  eminent  authorities  too, 
that  woman  is  mentally  inferior  to  man,  and  that  on 
this  account  it  is  cruel  to  demand  of  her  the  same 
amount  or  kind  of  mental  labor  in  the  procurement 
of  an  education  as  in  the  case  of  young  men.  This 
question  has  grown  to  very  large  proportions  within 
the  last  decade,  and  we  cannot  hope  to  consider  it 


148 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOB 


So-called  Break  Downs.  Too  Much  Mince  Pie. 

at  length  in  the  few  pages  which  we  can  devote  to 
the  subject  here;  but  we  wish  to  call  attention  to 
one  or  two  points  which  in  our  opinion  have  a spe- 
cial bearing  on  the  subject. 

First,  we  shall  atiirm  that  the  great  majority  of 
the  so-called  break  downs  of  young  ladies  in  schools 
in  which  they  are  obhged  to  compete  with  their 
brothers  of  the  same  age,  are  the  result  of  inatten- 
tion to  the  laws  of  health  relating  to  diet,  dress,  ex- 
ercise, personal  habits,  etc.  We  have  had  an  oppor- 
tunity to  know  the  facts  in  a very  large  number  of 
these  cases,  and  we  have  yet  to  meet  a single  case 
in  which  a young  woman  naturally  strong  and  well 
has  broken  down  in  consequence  of  doing  an  amount 
of  mental  work  proper  for  a young  man  of  the  same 
age  and  average  ability.  It  is  much  more  fashion- 
able to  say  of  a young  lady  who  has  broken  down 
at  school  that  “she  studied  too  hard,”  than  that  she 
ate  too  many  late  suppers  or  too  much  mince  pie,  or 
that  she  attended  too  many  evening  parties.  It  is 
much  less  humiliating  to  attribute  a break-down  to 
excessive  mental  apphcation  than  to  gross  neglect  of 
the  plain  laws  of  health,  relating  to  exercise,  per- 
sonal cleanliness,  etc. 

Improper  di’ess  alone  is  sufficient  as  a cause  to 
account  for  the  greater  number  of  the  failures  in 
health  observed  among  young  ladies  during  then- 
school-days.  The  tight-lacing,  wearing  of  tight 
shoes  with  French  heels,  inattention  to  the  equable 
clothing  of  the  limbs,  wearing  heavy  skirts  sus- 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


149 


Excessive  Brain  Labor.  Mental  Derangement. 

pended  from  the  hips,  and  a variety  of  other  trans- 
gressions in  this  direction  of  a similar  character,  are 
responsible  for  most  of  the  breakdowns  which  are 
attributed  to  overstudy.  If  we  add  to  these  the 
cases  which  may  justly  be  charged  to  other  viola- 
tions of  the  laws  of  health,  there  will  be  found  left 
but  few  which  cannot  be  accounted  for  on  more  ra- 
tional grounds  than  the  supposition  that  the  brain 
and  nervous  system  have  been  overworked  in  the 
acquisition  of  knowledge. 

It  may  be  granted  that  now  and  then  a case  of 
deranged  health  may  be  found  which  may  be  justly 
charged  to  excessive  brain  labor  ; but  when  the  cir- 
cumstances of  these  cases  are  investigated,  it  is  al- 
most universally  found  that  the  real  cause  after  all 
is  the  employment  of  various  stimulating  means  by 
which  a system  of  cramming  is  kept  up,  exciting 
the  student  to  the  most  extraordinary  efforts  to  ex- 
cel, which  may  be  at  the  expense  of  health  through 
neglect  or  direct  violation  of  physiological  laws. 

The  claim  that  young  women  are  unable  to  com- 
pete with  their  brothers  in  the  pursuit  of  knowledge 
on  account  of  deficient  mental  capacity,  has  been 
made,  as  before  remarked,  by  mo,st  eminent  author- 
ities. We  are  prepared  to  show,  however,  that  the 
arguments  adduced  in  support  of  the  claim  are  not 
really  based  upon  scientific  grounds.  We  have  in 
another  work  taken  occasion  to  show  the  fallacy  of 
these  arguments  at  some  considerable  length.  We 
have  not  space  to  fully  elucidate  the  arguments 


150 


PLAIJ:T  FACTS  FOB 


Woman  as  a Thinker.  Average  Size  of  Brains. 

which  we  have  elsewhere  ^adduced,  but  would  in- 
vite attention  to  one  fact,  which  well  illustrates  the 
unfairness  of  the  arguments  used  to  support  the  doc- 
trine of  the  inferiority  of  woman  as  a thinker.  We 
refer  to  the  assertion  that  the  mental  inferiority  of 
woman  is  'proven  by  the  relative  smallness  of  the 
feminine  brain.  The  fact  that  the  average  female 
brain  is  smaller  than  the  average  male  brain,  has 
been  too  well  established  to  be  disputed  ; but  this 
by  no  means  settles  the  que.stion.  The  matter  of 
quality  must  be  taken  into  consideration  as  well 
as  quantity.  The  fact  that  one  man’s  brain  is 
larger  than  another  does  not  prove  him  to  possess 
greater  mental  ability.  The  London  bricklayer 
whose  brain  weighed  sixty -seven  ounces,  more  than 
that  of  the  famous  Cuvier,  wms  unable  to  read  or 
write,  and  was  possessed  of  no  remarkable  degree 
of  mentality. 

Again,  the  Chinese  possess  larger  brains,  on  the 
average,  than  Europeans  ; but  who  will  affirm  that 
they  are  mentally  their  superiors.  Many  of  the 
most  eminent  men  of  science  and  art  have  been  pos- 
sessed of  small  brains,  some  approaching  nearly  to 
the  average  size  of  idiots’  brains.  It  cannot  be  dis- 
puted that  in  these  cases  the  matter  of  quality  has 
been  proven  to  be  more  important  than  quantity. 

But  another  point  of  importance  must  not  be  ig- 
nored. A most  patent  unfairness  seems  to  have  been 
perpetrated  by  the  advocates  of  woman’s  mental  in- 
feriority in  making  the  comparison  of  their  cerebral 


OLD  AND  YOUNG.  Ij] 

Comparison  of  Brains.  Woman’s  Superiority. 

development  with  that  of  men.  The  comparison 
made  is  an  absolute  one,  without  reference  to  the  rel- 
ative size  of  men  and  women.  If  we  compare  the 
proportionate  size  of  the  male  brain  to  the  rest  of  the 
body,  or  the  relation  of  the  average  male  brain  to 
the  average  male  body,  with  the  same  relation  be- 
tween the  average  female  brain,  and  the  weight  of 
the  average  female,  we  shall  find  that  the  figures  are 
reversed.  That  is,  it  will  appear  that  the  average 
female  brain  is  larger  in  proportion  to  the  size  of  her 
body  than  the  average  male  brain.  It  thus  appears 
that  so  far  as  the  evidence  goes  to  prove  anything, 
it  proves  that  women  are  possessed  of  greater  mental 
capacity  than  men.  Viewed  from  this  stand-point, 
we  see  no  hope  for  the  maintenance  of  the  mental 
superiority  of  men,  except  by  falling  back  upon  the 
rejected  argument  based  upon  quality. 

It  should  be  remarked  that  there  is  a possibility 
that  some  girls,  particularly  those  not  naturally 
strong,  require  to  be  specially  favored  at  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  menstrual  period.  At  this  critical 
time,  girls  should  not  be  required  to  do  the  full 
amount  of  mental  or  muscular  labor,  which  they 
may  be  able  to  perform  with  ease  at  other  times. 
But  this  is  no  argument  against  the  co-education  of 
the  sexes,  since  the  same  would  be  true  if  the  girl 
was  in  a school  consisting  entirely  of  girls. 

Another  fact  worth  remembering  in  this  connec- 
tion is  that  girls  are,  as  a rule,  a year  or  two  ahead 
of  their  brothers  in  mental  development,  so  that 


152 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 


Influence  of  Education.  Co-edncation  of  the  Sexes. 

they  can  afford  to  lag  behind  a little  during  the  ac- 
cess of  puberty  without  any  risk  of  getting  behind 
their  male  school-mates  of  the  same  age. 

We  think  it  will  be  well  for  those  who  have  the 
most  interest  in 'this  subject,  to  carefully  consider  it 
in  all  its  bearings  before  taking  strong  grounds 
against  one-half  of  the  human  race.  Such  a consid- 
eration, we  are  confident,  will  result  in  the  conclu- 
sion that  men  and  women  are  mentally  equal  un- 
der equal  circumstances.  It  will  not  be  denied  that 
the  influence  of  education  and  heredity  acting 
through  a long  series  of  ages,  has  resulted  in  modi- 
fying both  men  and  women  in  such  a way  as  to 
make  them  different  mentally,  so  far  as  their  tastes 
are  concerned,  and  their  aptitude  for  special  offices 
in  the  economy  of  the  world  ; but  this  fact  does  not 
necessarily  militate  against  the  co-education  of  the 
sexes,  since  both  alike  require  the  fundamental  ele- 
ments of  knowledge,  and  the  mental  discipline  by 
means  of  which  further  knowledge  may  be  acqumed. 

Much  harm  has  resulted  to  woman  by  the  manner 
of  treatment  to  which  she  has  been  subjected.  At 
the  very  begianiag  of  life  she  is  often  looked  upon 
as  “only  a girl,”  and  is  treated  accordingly,  petted, 
coddled,  spoiled,  because  she  is  regarded  as  of  less 
consequence  than  her  baby  brother,  destined  to  be  a 
plaything,  an  ornament,  or  necessary  appendage  to 
a home,  rather  than  the  peer  of  man.  Let  two  in- 
dividuals start  in  life  exactly  alike,  such  different 
modes  of  treatment  would  result  in  the  production 


OLD  AND  TOVNO.  153 

Eqnal  Chance  for  Women.  Divorce  a Crying  Evil. 

of  most  profound  differences.  We  do  not  say  that 
woman, — that  girls, — should  be  treated  exactly  like 
persons  of  the  opposite  sex  ; but  we  would  have  the 
two  sexes  given  a more  equal  chance  in  the  world. 
Let  woman  have  an  equal  chance  with  man  from 
her  start  in  life,  giving  her  equally  good  opportuni- 
ties for  building  up  a rugged  constitution,  and  ac- 
quiring mental  and  moral  culture,  and  we  will  risk 
her  to  stand  up  beside  him  as  his  peer  in  any  of  the 
walks  of  life  except  those  in  which  success  is  solely 
dependent  upon  the  size  of  muscle  and  bone ; and 
even  in  these  positions  woman  has  shown  her  ability 
to  compete  with  him,  by  her  greater  power  of  endur- 
ance. 

Divorce. — Another  of  the  crying  evils  of  the  day, 
and  one  which  menaces  in  a most  alarming  man- 
ner the  most  sacred  interests  of  society,  is  the  facil- 
ity with  which  divorces  may  be  obtaiued.  In  some 
State  the  laws  regulating  divorce  are  so  notoriously 
loose  that  scores  and  even  hundreds  of  people 
visit  the  State  referred  to  every  year  with  no  other 
object  than  to  obtain  a dissolution  of  the  bonds  of 
matrimony.  The  effect  of  this  looseness  in  the  laws 
is  to  encourage  hasty,  inconsiderate  marriages,  and 
to  make  escape  from  an  uncongenial  partner  so  easy 
that  the  obligation  to  cultivate  forbearance  and  to 
acquire  mutual  adaptation  which  may  not  at  first 
exist,  is  wholly  overlooked. 

The  Bible  rule  for  divorce,  laid  down  by  the 
Great  Teacher,  is  little  regarded  in  these  degenerate 


]54  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Infamous  Practices.  Shameful  Advertisements. 

days.  He  made  adultery  the  only  legitimate  cause 
for  divorce ; yet  we  now  see  married  people  break- 
ing asunder  their  solemn  marriage  ties  on  the  oc- 
currence of  the  most  trivial  difficulties.  If  a couple 
become  tired  of  each  other  and  desire  a change,  all 
they  have  to  do  is  to  forward  the  fee  to  a New 
York  or  Chicago  lawyer,  and  they  will  receive  back 
in  a short  time  the  legal  papers  duly  signed,  grant- 
ing them  the  desired  annulment  of  their  vows. 

Although  countenanced  by  human  laws,  there 
can  he  no  doubt  that  this  shameless  trifling  with  a 
divine  institution  is  regarded  by  High  Heaven  as 
the  vilest  abomination.  In  no  direction  is  there 
greater  need  of  reformatory  legislation  than  in  this. 
The  marriage  contract  should  be  recognized  in  our 
laws  as  one  which  cannot  be  made  and  broken  so 
lightly  as  it  now  is.  It  should  be  annulled  only 
for  the  most  serious  ofienses.  The  contrary  course 
now  pursued  so  frequently  is  most  detrimental  to 
morals.  Our  divorce  laws  virtually  offer  a pre- 
mium for  unchastity. 

Not  infrequently  we  see  among  the  advertise- 
ments in  the  newspapers  notices  like  the  following : 
“ The  undersigned  is  prepared  to  furnish  divorces 
to  parties  desiring  the  same  at  moderate  rates,  in 
short  time,  and  without  publicity. .” 

The  animus  of  these  advertisements  is  fraud. 
The  parties  so  engaged  are  the  vilest  scoundrels ; 
and  that  they  are  allowed  to  continue  to  ply  their 
nefarious  vocation  is  a foul  blot  upon  the  enlight- 


t 


OLD  AND  YOUNG.  I55 

^\^lo  May  not  Marry.  A Cause  of  Increasing  Disease. 

ened  civilization  of  a so-called  Christian  country. 
A publisher  who  will  insert  such  a notice  in  his 
journal,  would  advertise  a brothel  if  he  dared. 
While  there  is  so  much  interest  in  the  suppression 
of  obscene  literature,  we  would  suggest  that  the 
proper  authorities  should  direct  their  attention  to 
the  suppression  of  unlawful  divorces,  and  the  proper 
punishment  of  the  villains  engaged  in  forwarding 
this  nefarious  business. 

Who  May  not  Marry. — Many  writers  devote 
much  space  in  laying  down  rules  which  are  to  be 
implicitly  followed  by  those  seeking  life  partners: 
We  have  attempted  nothing  of  the  sort,  both  from 
its  impracticability,  and  from  the  fact  that  such 
rules  are  never  followed ; and  if  the  attempt  should 
be  made  to  follow  the  prescribed  rules,  we  are  not 
sure  that  more  good  than  harm  would  be  the  re- 
sult. Hence,  we  shall  content  ourselves  with  call- 
ing attention  to  a few  facts  of  grdat  importance 
respecting  the  conditions  which  imperatively  forbid 
marriage,  and  which  cannot  be  violated  without  the 
certain  entailment  of  great  sufiering. 

I.  Persons  suffering  with  serious  disease  of  a 
character  communicable  to  others  by  contagion  or 
by  hereditary  transnyission. 

Many  people  wonder  why  it  is  that  diseases  are 
so  much  more  numerous  and  varied  in  modern 
times  than  in  the  earlier  ages  of  the  race.  There 
has  been  an  evident  increase  within  a few  centu- 
ries. While  there  are,  undoubtedly,  numerous  in- 


156  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Human  Life  Shortening.  Transmissible  Diseases. 

fluencing  causes,  one  which  cannot  be  overlooked 
is  the  hereditary  transmission  of  disease,  which  pre- 
serves those  disorders  which  already  exist,  and  adds 
new  ones  which  originate  from  new  exciting  causes. 
By  this  means,  the  human  race  is  undoubtedly 
being  weakened,  human  life  shortened,  and  diseases 
multiplied.  Compare  the  average  age  of  human 
beings  of  the  present  day,  less  than  forty  }^ars, 
with  the  longevity  of  the  early  members  of  the  race, 
who  lived  more  than  as  many  score  of  years.  Some 
mighty  deteriorating  influence  has  been  at  work ; 
and  we  hazard  nothing  in  the  assertion  that  the 
marriage  of  diseased  persons  and  kindred  violations 
of  the  laws  of  human  hygiene  have  been  not  unim- 
portant factors  in  producing  this  most  appalling 
diminution  in  the  length  of  human  life. 

Amona:  the  diseases  which  are  most  certain  to  be 
transmitted  are  pulmonary  tuberculosis,  or  con- 
sumption, syphilis,  cancer,  leprosy,  epilepsy,  and 
some  other  nervous  disorders,  some  forms  of  skin 
disease,  and  insanity.  The  list  might  be  extended; 
but  these  are  the  more  common.  Persons  sufiering 
with  these  disorders  have  no  right  to  marry,  for  at 
least  four  reasons  : — 

(1)  It  is  a sin  against  the  ofi*spring  of  such 
unions,  who  have  a right  to  be  bom  well,  but  are 
forced  to  come  into  the  world  with  weakly  consti- 
tutions, diseased  frames,  and  the  certainty  of  pre- 
mature death.  The  children  of  consumptive  and 
syphilitic  parents  rarely  sui’vive  infancy.  If  they 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


157 


A Sin  against  Ofifspring.  An  Ineradicable  Disease. 

do,  it  is  only  to  suffer  later  on,  as  they  surely  will, 
and,  perhaps,  to  communicate  the  same  destructive 
diseases  to  other  human  beings ; but  these  diseases 
rarely  extend  beyond  the  third  generation,  the.  line 
becoming  extinct.  The  most  heart-rending  specta- 
cles we  have  ever  met  have  been  the  children  of 
parents  suffering  with  the  diseases  mentioned. 
Their  appearance  is  characteristic ; no  physician  of 
experience  can  fail  to  detect  the  sins  of  a profligate 
parent  in  a syphilitic  child.  Every  feature  indi- 
cates the  presence  of  a blighting  curse. 

There  are  those  who  assert  that  a man  who  has 
suffered  with  disease  of  the  character  last  men- 
tioned may  marry  after  the  lapse  of  two  or  three 
yeai-s  from  the  disappearance  of  the  active  symp- 
toms of  the  malady.  Such  assertions  we  consider 
as  most  dangerous  and  pernicious.  The  individ- 
uals who  make  them  are  well  acquainted  with  the 
fact  that  of  all  diseases  this  is  the  most  difficult  to 
eradicate  when  once  the  system  has  become  thor- 
oughly infected  by  it.  Not  only  three  years  but 
thirty  years  may  elapse  after  active  symptoms 
disappear,  yet  the  disease  may  break  out  again  in 
a new  and  still  more  serious  and  complicated  form. 
It  may  even  lie  entirely  dormant  or  latent  in  the 
system  of  the  parent  during  his  lifetime,  but 
break  out  in  all  its  terrible  destructiveness  in  his 
children.  A man  or  woman  who  has  once  suffered 
with  this  fell  disease  is  contaminated  for  life ; and 
it  is  a crime  for  such  an  one  to  entail  upon  inno- 


158  PLAIJ^  FACTS  FOR 

A Crime  against  the  Race.  Consumption  Communicable. 

cent,  unoffending  human  beings  such  a terrible  leg- 
acy. Such  a person  has  no  right  to  marry ; or  if 
married,  has  no  right  to  perpetuate  the  results  of 
his  sins  in  offspring.  It  is  never  safe  to  say  to  a 
man  who  has  once  been  infected  that  he  is  cured. 
If  a cure  ever  takes  place,  it  is  exceedingly  rare. 

(2)  It  is  a crime  against  the  race.  One  of  the 
primary  objects  of  marriage  is  reproduction.  As 
members  of  the  human  race,  it  is  the  duty  of  par- 
ents to  produce  a high  type  of  human  beings,  at 
least  to  do  all  in  their  power  to  produce  healthy 
offspring.  If  they  cannot  do  this,  and  are  aware 
of  the  fact,  they  are  guilty  of  abuse  of  the  repro- 
ductive function  in  bringing  sickly  offspring  into 
the  world  to  suffer. 

(3)  It  is  injurious  to  the  contracting  parties 
themselves.  If  a person  has  a communicable  dis- 
ease, as  syphilis,  leprosy,  and  some  bad  forms  of 
skin  disease,  the  disease  will  certainly  be  commu- 
nicated to  the  wife  or  husband,  and  so  a double 
amount  of  suffering  will  be  entailed.  The  dread 
disease,  consumption,  rightly  called  the  scourge  of 
civilization,  is  now  well  known  to  be  communi- 
cable. A few  years  ago  we  were  consulted  by  an 
old  gentleman,  a native  of  Canada,  who  was  suffer- 
ing with  pulmonary  disease.  We  inquired  re- 
specting the  history  of  the  malady.  Said  lie, 
“Doctor, it  may  seem  strange, but  I believe  I inhr- 
ited  consumption  from  my  wife,  who  died  of  con- 
sumption a few  years  ago.”  Excepting  the  wrong 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


169 


■ Modifying  Influence  of  Marriage.  A Carious  Physiological  Fact. 

use  of  the  term  inherit,  we  were  not  prepared  to 
dispute  the  old  gentleman’s  ideas  respecting  the 
origin  of  his  disease.  Living  in  close  association 
for  years  with  his  wife,  who  was  slowly  dying  with 
disease  of  the  lungs,  it  was  quite  possible  for  him 
to  have  received  the  disease  from  her.  So  many 
cases  of  this  kind  have  been  reported  that  it  is 
now  generally  believed  by  medical  men  that  con- 
sumption is  communicable  from  one  person  to  an- 
other by  the  reception  into  the  system  of  the  well 
person  of  the  exhalations  from  the  lungs  of  the 
person  affected. 

Anotlier  point  worthy  of  mention  here  is  the 
well-known  fact  that  the  intimate  association  of 
married  people  modifies  even  the  physical  form  of 
both.  Almost  every  one  has  noticed  how  much 
alike  in  appearance  married  people  who  have  lived 
many  years  together  come  to  be.  This  physical 
change  undoubtedly  extends  further  than  to  the 
features  only.  The  whole  constitution  is  modified. 

A remarkable  illustration  of  this  fact  is  found  in 
the  frequent  observation  that  the  children  of  a 
woman  by  a second  husband  often  resemble  in  ap- 
pearance the  first  husband  much  more  than  their 
own  father.  It  has  been  observed  that  the  chil- 
dren of  negro  women,  even  by  husbands  of  pure 
negro  blood,  are  much  lighter  in  color  than  usual 
if  she  has  had  a child  by  a white  man  previously. 

The  same  fact  is  observed  in  lower  animals. 
In  England,  some  years  ago,  a cross  was  effected 


160  PLAIN  _ FACTS  FOB 

Moral  Obligation.  Persons  with  Similar  Tendencies  Must  not  Marry. 

between  a male  zebra  and  several  young  mares. 

Not  only  the  hybrid  colts  resulting  from  this  union, 
but  all  the  colts  afterward  foaled  by  the  same  mares, 
from  other  horses,  were  striped  like  the  zebra. 

In  view  of  these  facts,  it  is  evident  that  the 
system  of  the  woman,  at  least,  may  be  profoundly 
affected  in  a similar  manner  by  constitutional 
weaknesses,  as  well  as  by  other  individual  peculiari- 
ties possessed  by  her  husband. 

No  person  suffering  with  a contagious  or  infec- 
tious disease  has  any  right  to  communicate  the 
same  to  another.  Indeed,  it  is  the  moral  duty  of 
every  person  so  affected  to  do  all  in  his  power  for 
the  protection  of  others  from  the  same  cause  of 
suffering. 

2.  Persons  having  a marked  hereditary  tendency 
to  disease  must  not  marry  those  having  a similar 
tendency. 

Every  physician  knows  only  too  well  the  power- 
ful influence  of  hereditary  causes  in  determining 
the  length  of  human  life.  Persons,  one  or  both  of 
whose  parents  have  died  of  consumption,  are  very 
likely  to  die  of  the  same  disease,  and  frequently  at 
about  the  same  age.  The  children  of  such  parents 
are  commonly  feeble  and  puny,  and  die  early  if  they 
survive  infancy.  When  both  parents  possess  the 
consumptive  tendency,  the  chance  for  life  in  the 
offspring  is  very  poor  indeed.  The  same  may  be 
said  of  those  suffering  with  cancer,  epilepsy,  insan- 
ity, etc.  Persons  with  a strong  tendency  to  any 

Should  Cousias  Marry? 


Cripples  and  DefectiTes. 


one  of  the  diseases  mentioned  should  in  no  case 
marry.  If  there  is  but  a slight  morbid  tendency, 
marriage  may  be  admissible,  but  only  with  a part- 
ner possessing  robust  health. 

3.  Should  cousins  marry  ? 

Writers  have  devoted  a good  deal  of  attention  to 
this  subject,  and  we  have  been  shown  statistics,  re- 
ports of  imbecile  asylums,  etc.,  for  the  purpose  of 
proving  that  the  marriage  of  cousins  results  in  the 
production  of  idiots,  and  other  defectives ; but  the 
results  of  more  careful  examinations  of  the  subject 
invalidate  the  views  heretofore  held,  and  it  must 
be  acknowledged  that  when  both  parties  are 
healthy  there  is  no  more  liability  of  mental  incom- 
petency in  the  children  of  cousins,  than  in  the  off- 
spring of  persons  more  remotely  related.  It  must 
be  added,  however,  that  there  are  other  reasons 
why  the  marriage  of  cousins  is  not  to  be  generally 
recommended.  Besides  the  fact  that  the  feeling  ex- 
isting  between  cousins  is  often  only  that  which  is 
felt  by  brothers  and  sisters  for  each  other,  there  is 
the  still  more  important  fact  that  on  account  of  the 
blood  relation,  unions  of  this  kind  are  more  apt  than 
others  to  bring  together  persons  having  similar 
morbid  tendencies. 

4.  Persons  having  serious  congenital  deformities 
should  not  marry. 

The  reason  for  this  rule  is  obvious.  Persons  suf- 
fering with  serious  congenital  defects,  as  natural 
blindness,  deafness,  deformity  of  the  limbs,  or  de- 
ll 


1G2 


PLAIN  PACT  a FOR 


Criminals  Should  not  Marry.  The  Drunkard’s  Legacy. 

fective  development  of  any  part,  will  be  more  or 
less  likely  to  transmit  the  same  deformities  or  de- 
ficiencies to  their  children.  There  are,  of  course, 
cases  of  natural  blindness,  as  well  as  of  disability 
in  other  respects,  to  which  this  rule  does  not  apph', 
the  natural  process  of  development  not  being  seri- 
ously defective.  It  has  even  been  observed  that 
there  is  a slight  tendency  to  the  reproduction  in 
the  offspring,  of  deformity  which  has  been  artifi- 
cially produced  in  the  pai’ents,  and  has  existed  for 
a long  time. 

Many  ancient  nations  observed  this  rule.  Infants 
born  cripples  were  strangled  at  birth  or  left  to  die. 
A Spartan  king  was  once  required  by  his  people  to 
pay  a heavy  fine  for  taking  a wife  who  was  infe- 
rior in  size. 

5.  Criminals  should  not  marry. 

It  has  been  satisfactorily  shown  by  thorough  and 
scientific  investigation  that  criminals  often  receive 
their  evil  proclivities  from  their  parents.  What 
are  known  as  the  criminal  classes,  which  are  re- 
sponsible for  the  greater  part  of  the  ciime  com- 
mitted, are  constantly  and  greatly  on  the  increase. 
There  is  no  doubt  but  that  inheritance  is  lar^elv 
responsible  for  the  continued  increase  of  crime  and 
criminals.  A drunkard  begets  in  his  child  a thirst 
for  liquor,  which  is  augmented  by  the  mother’s  use 
of  ale  or  lager  during  gestation  and  nuking,  and 
the  child  entem  the  world  with  a natural  taste  for 
intoxicants.  A thief  transmits  to  his  offspring  a 


OLD  AND  rOUNG. 


163 


Disproportion  in  Siae.  Disparity  of  Ape. 

secretive,  dishonest,  sneaking  disposition;  and  the 
child  comes  into  the  world  ticketed  for  the  State 
prison  by  the  nearest  route.  So  with  other  evil 
tendencies.  By  legislation  or  by  some  other  means, 
measures  should  be  speedily  adopted  for  the  pre- 
vention of  this  rapid  increase  of  criminals,  if  there 
is  any  feasible  plan  which  can  be  adopted.  We 
offer  no  suggestion  on  this  point,  but  it  is  one  well 
Avorthy  of  the  consideration  of  philanthropic 
statesmen. 

6.  Persons  xvho  are  greatly  disproportionate  in 
size  should  not  marry. 

While  good  taste  would  suggest  the  propriety  of 
this  rule,  there  are  important  physiological  reasons 
for  its  observance.  While  the  lack  of  physical 
adaptitude  may  be  the  occasion  of  much  suffering 
and  unhappiness  in  such  unions,  especially  on  the 
part  of  the  wife,  being  even  productive  of  most 
serious  local  disease,  and  sometimes  of  sterility,  it 
is  in  childbirth  that  the  greatest  risk  and  suffering 
is  incurred.  More  might  be  said  on  this  point,  but 
this  is  sufficient  for  those  who' are  willing  to  profit 
by  a useful  hint.  i 

7.  Persons  between  whom  there  is  great  disparity 
of  age  should  not  marry. 

The  reasons  for  this  have  already  been  given  at 
length,  and  we  will  not  repeat.  In  general,  the 
husband  should  be  older  than  the  wife,  from  two  to 
five  years.  The  husband  may  often  be  ten  or 
twelve  years  the  senior  of  the  wife ; but  when  mox’e 


164 


I‘LAiy  FACTS  FOR 


Incompatible  Temperaments.  Marriage  of  Very  Different  Races. 

than  that,  the  union  is  not  likely  to  he  a profitable 
or  happy  one,  if  it  is  not  absolutely  productive  of 
suffering  and  unhappiness.  The  ancient  Greeks 
required  that  the  husband  should  be  Gventy  years 
older  than  the  wife ; but  this  custom  was  no  more 
reasonable  than  that  of  another  nation  which  re- 
quired that  only  old  and  young  should  marry,  so 
that  the  sobriety  of  the  old  might  restrain  the 
frivolity  of  the  young. 

8.  Persons  who.  are  extremely  unlike  in  teraper- 
ament  should  not  marry. 

Persons  who  are  so  unlike  in  temperament  and 
tastes  as  to  have  no  mutual  enjoyments,  no  congen- 
iality of  feeling,  will  be  incompatible  as  husband 
and  wife,  and  the  union  of  such  persons  will  be 
anything  but  felicitous.  No  definite  rule  can  be 
laid  down ; but  those  seeking  a companion  for  life 
would  do  well  to  bear  this  caution  in  mind,  at  the 
same  time  remembering  that  too  great  similarity  of 
character,  especially  when  there  are  prominent  de- 
fects, is  equally  undesirable. 

9.  Marriage  between  widely  different  races  is 
unadvisable. 

While  there  is  no  moral  precept  directly  in- 
volved in  marriage  between  widely  different  na- 
tions, as  between  whites  and  blacks  or  Indians,  ex- 
perience shows  that  such  marriages  are  not  only 
not  conducive  to  happiness,  but  are  detrimental  to 
the  ofispring.  It  has  been  proven  beyond  room 
for  question  that  mulattoes  are  not  so  long-lived  as 
either  blacks  or  whites. 


OLD  A jSTD  r 0 DAT O . 


165 


Should  Paupers  Marry?  General  Apathy  on  the  Subject. 

10.  Persons  who  are  unable  to  sustain  them- 
selves or  a family  should  not  marry. 

Both  moral  and  social  obligations — if  the  two 
obligations  may  exist  independently — forbid  mar- 
riage to  a young  man  Avho  is  scarcely  able  to  pro- 
vide for  himself,  much  less  to  support  a wife  and  a 
family.  The  theory  advocated  by  some  that  two 
can  live  almost  as  cheaply  as  one,  so  that  a saving 
will  be  made  by  a union  of  two  in  marriage,  is  a 
most  fallacious  one.  There  may  be  occasional  ex- 
ceptions, but  in  general,  young  people  who  marry 
with  this  idea  in  their  heads  find  that  they  have 
reasoned  not  wisely.  It  will  not  be  disputed  that 
a married  couple  may  live  upon  what  is  often 
spent  foolishly  by  a young  man ; but  a young  man 
can  be  economical  if  he  will ; and  if  he  does  not 
learn  economy  before  marriage,  it  is  likely  that  he 
never  will  learn  it. 

The  marriage  of  paupers,  to  beget  pauper  chil- 
dren and  foist  them  upon  the  community  for  sup- 
port, is  an  outrage  against  society.  We  believe  it 
is  not  improper  to  speak  out  plainly  upon  this  sub- 
ject, and  in  no  uncertain  tone,  notwithstanding  the 
popular  prejudice  which  cries,  “Hush,  be  quiet; 
don’t  interfere  with  individual  rights,  don’t  dis- 
turb the  peace  of  society,”  whenever  anything  is 
said  which  has  a bearing  on  a regard  for  propriety 
in  matters  relating  to  one  of  the  most  ancient,  the 
most  sacred,  and  the  most  abused  of  all  divinely 
appointed  human  institutions.  We  have  never 


166 


1‘LAIN  FACTS  FOR 


An  Icelandic  Custom.  Patagonian  Good  Sense. 

been  able  to  account  for  this  strange  averseness  to 
the  consideration  of  this  phase  of  the  matrimonial 
question,  and  the  determined  effort  often  made  to 
ignore  it  whenever  it  is  broached.  We  purpose  to 
speak  out,  notwithstanding  the  feeling  referred  to, 
since  we  believe  this  to  be  a crying  e\ul ; and  we 
have  no  fears  but  that  we  shall  have  the  hearty 
indorsement  of  every  individual  who  can  so  far 
lay’ aside  his  prejudices  as  to  allow  his  native  com- 
mon sense  a fair  chance  to  influence  his  judgment. 

In  the  country  of  Iceland,  a land  which  is 
scarcely  more  than  semi-civilized,  if  a young  man 
wishes  to  marry,  the  first  thing  to  be  considered  is 
his  pecuniary  situation.  Before  he  can  take  to 
himself  a wife,  he  must  appear  before  the  proper 
authority  and  present  evidence  that  he  is  able  to 
support  a wife  and  family  in  addition  to  providing 
for  himself.  Even  the  bai'barous  natives  of  Pat- 
agonia shoAv  an  equal  degree  of  good  sense,  the 
chief  of  each  tribe  requiring  that  eA^ery  young  man 
who  AAUshes  to  marry  shall  first  proA^e  himself  com- 
petent to  provide  for  a family,  having  attained  the 
requisite  degree  of  proficiency  in  hunting  and  fish- 
ing, and  having  possessed  himself  of  at  least  two 
horses  and  the  necessary  equipments. 

In  this  country, — a ciAulized,  so-called  Christian 
country,  blessed  Avith  all  the  enlightenment  of  the 
nineteenth  century,  what  do  we  see  ? Instead  of 
any  regulation  of  the  sort,  the  utmost  indifference 
to  such  clearly  important  considerations.  If  young 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


167 


Important  Questions  Neglected.  Ministers  Kemies  in  Duty. 

people  profess  to  love  each  other  and  wish  to 
marry,  no  one  of  their  friends  thinks  of  asking, 
“ How  are  they  going  to  live  after  they  are  mar- 
ried ? Has  the  young  man  a trade  ? Has  the 
young  lady  been  so  educated  as  to  be  self-sustain- 
ing if  necessary  ? Has  the  young  man  a home  or 
the  wherewithal  to  obtain  one  ? Has  he  a good 
situation,  with  prospects  of  being  able  to  support 
his  wife  comfortably  and  provide  for  a family  ? ” 
These,  or  similar  questions  are  sometimes  asked, 
but  little  respect  is  paid  to  them  by  any  one,  least 
of  all  by  the  young  people  themselves,  who  ought 
to  be  most  interested.  The  minister  never  in- 
quires respecting  the  propriety  of  the  wedding  at 
which  he  is  to  officiate,  and  invokes  the  blessings 
of  Heaven  upon  a union  which,  for  aught  he 
knows,  may  be  the  grossest  violation  of  immutable 
laws,  Heaven-implanted  in  the  constitution  of  the 
human  race.  The  friends  tender  their  congratula- 
tions and  wishes  of  “much  joy,”  when  in  three 
cases  out  of  four  the  conditions  are  such  that  a 
preponderance  of  grief  is  an  inevitable  certainty, 
and  “much  joy”  an  utter  impossibility. 

There  are  exceptions  to  all  general  rules  ; but  it 
is  a fact  of  which  almost  any  one  may  convince 
himself  that  a man  or  a woman  seldom  rises  much 
higher  than  the  level  reached  at  marriage.  If  a 
young  man  has  no  trade  then,  it  is  more  than 
probable  that  he  will  never  be  master  of  one.  If 
he  has  not  fitted  himself  for  a profession,  he  will 


IQg  PLAIN  FACTS  F'OU 

Improvident  Husbands.  A Typical  Dialogue. 

most  likely  never  attain  to  such  a rank  in  society. 
He  will,  in  all  probability,  be  a common  laborer, 
living  “from  hand  to  mouth,”  with  nothing  laid 
by  for  a rainy  day. 

A wag  says  that  a young  couple  just  married, 
and  for  the  first  time  awakened  to  the  full  con- 
sciousness of  the  fact  that  they  must  provide  for 
themselves  or  starve,  held  the  following  dialogue : 
Husband.  “ Well,  wife,  what  are  we  going  to  do  ? 
How  shall  we  live  ? ” W’^ife.  “ Oh,  my  dear,  we 
shall  get  along  very  well,  I am  sure ; you  love  me, 
do  n’t  you  ? ” H.  “ Certainly,  dear,  but  we  can- 
not live  on  love.”  W.  “We  can  live  on  bread 
and  water ; so  long  as  we  have  each  other,  it 
doesn’t  matter  much  what  we  have  to  eat.”  “That’s 
so,  my  dear ; well,  you  furnish  the  bread,  and  I 
Avill  skirmish  around  after  the  water.”  This 
exact  dialogue  may  never  have  taken  place;  but 
the  circumstances  which  might  have  called  it  out 
have  occurred  thousands  of  times.  How  many 
times  has  a dependent  woman  who  had  hastily 
married  an  improvident  husband  awakened  at  the 
end  of  a short  honeymoon  to  find  that  she  had 
only  a limber  stick  or  a broken  reed  to  lean  upon, 
instead  of  a self-reliant,  independent,  self-sustain- 
ing man,  able  to  promde  for  her  the  comforts  of  a 
home  and  to  protect  her  from  the  rudeness  and 
suffering  of  privation  and  want. 

In  our  estimation  it  is  as  much  a sin  for  a man 
to  assume  the  obligation  of  caring  for  a wife  and 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


169 


A Plain  Truth.  Moral  Requisites. 

family  when  he  has  no  reasonable  grounds  for  be- 
lieving himself  able  to  do  so,  as  for  a man  to  go  in 
debt  a few  hundreds  or  thousands  of  dollars,  and 
agree  to  pay  the  same  when  required,  though  per- 
fectly well  aware  that  he  will  probably  be  unable 
to  do  so.  Hence  we  say  again,  with  emphasis,  the 
improvident  should  not  marry ; and  we  shall  insist 
upon  urging  this  truth,  notwithstanding  the  fact 
that  the  very  class  of  persons  referred  to  are  usu- 
ally of  all  classes  the  most  anxious  to  enter  the 
matrimonial  state  at  the  earliest  possible  moment, 
and  the  most  certain  to  bring  into  the  world  large 
families  of  children  still  more  improvident  than 
themselves. 

11.  Do  not  marry  a person  tvhose  moral  charac- 
ter will  not  hear  the  closest  scrutiny. 

By  this  we  do  not  mean  that  absolute  perfection 
should  be  required,  as  this  would  interdict  marriage 
altogether ; but  we  wish  to  warn  every  young  man 
against  marrying  a young  woman  who  treats  lightly 
or  contemptuously  matters  which  should  be  treated 
with  profound  respect ; who  uses  the  name  of  Deity 
flippantly  or  rudely  ; who  treats  her  parents  disre- 
spectfully ; who  never  cares  to  talk  of  subjects  of 
a spiritual  nature;  who  is  giddy,’  gay,  dressy, 
thoughtless,  fickle.  Such  a young  woman  will 
never  make  a loving,  patient,  faithful,  helpful  wife. 

We  wish  also  to  warn  every  young  woman 
against  choosing  for  a husband  a man  who  has  a 
strong  leaning  toward  infidelity ; who  does  not  be- 


/ 

170  PLAIN  FACTtS  FOli 

Do  not  Marry  a Tobacco-User.  A Sad  Popular  Error. 

lieve  in  human  responsibility ; who  makes  a mock 
of  religion ; who  is  addicted  to  profanity ; who  is 
either  grossly  intemperate  or  given  to  moderate 
tippling,  be  it  ever  so  little,  so  long  as  he  does  not 
believe  in  and  practice  total  abstinence ; who  uses 
tobacco  ; who  is  a jockey,  a fop,  a loafer,  a schem- 
ing dreamer,  or  a speculator ; who  is  known  to  be 
unchaste,  or  who  has  led  a licentious  life. 

The  man  who  has  no  love  for  his  Maker  will  be 
likely  to  have  little  for  his  wife  and  children.  He 
who  does  not  acknowledge  his  responsibility  to  a 
higher  power  wiU  soon  forget  his  obligations  to  the 
wife  he  has  promised  to  love  and  cherish.  The  man 
who  is  not  willing  to  sacrifice  the  gi’atification  af- 
forded by  such  pernicious  habits  as  dram-drinking 
and  tobacco-using  to  insure  the  comfort  and  happi- 
ness of  his  wife  and  children,  is  too  selfish  to  make 
any  wom.an  a kind  husband. 

There  is  no  greater  eiTor  abroad  than  that  held 
by  not  a few  that  “ a reformed  rake  makes  the  best 
husband.”  The  man  whose  afiections  have  been 
consumed  in  the  fires  of  unhallowed  lust  is  incapa- 
ble of  giving  to  a pure-minded  woman  the  love  that 
she  expects  and  deserves.  A person  cannot  pass 
through  the  fire  unscathed.  The  scars  burned  into 
the  character  by  the  flames  of  concupiscence  are  as 
deep  and  lasting  as  those  inflicted  upon  the  body, 
and  even  more  so.  Only  “ in  the  regeneration  ” 
will  the  marks  and  scars  of  the  reformed  reprobate 
be  wholly  effaced. 

OLD  AXD  YOUJSra. 


171 


Martyred  Women.  Demand  Eeform  before  Marria<;e. 

We  willingly  grant  that  there  have  been  numer- 
ous instances  in  which  noble  women  have  by  years 
of  patient  effort  reformed  their  erring  husbands,  re- 
storing them  to  the  paths  of  virtue  and  sobriety 
from  which  they  had  wandered.  We  do  not  deny 
that  it  can  be  done  again ; but  we  do  not  hesitate 
to  say  that  the  experiment  is  a most  perilous  one 
for  any  woman  to  undertake,  and  one  which  not 
more  than  one  woman  in  a hundred  can  bring  to  a 
successful  termination.  The  hazard  is  terrible. 
Perhaps  it  is  on  this  very  account  that  many  young 
women  run  the  risk ; but  they  rarely  understand 
what  they  are  doing.  The  woman  who  marries  a 
drunkard  w;ill,  ten  chances  to  one,  die  a heart- 
broken drunkard’s  wife,  or  follow  her  husband  to  a 
drunkard’s  grave.  It  is  never  safe  for  a woman  to 
marry  a man  who  has  been  for  years  an  habitual 
drunkard,  since  he  may  relapse  at  any  time ; and 
the  man  who  has  only  indulged  moderately  should 
be  thoroughly  reformed  and  tested  before  the 
chances  are  taken  “ for  better  or  worse.”  Let  him 
prove  himself  well  first.  A proposition  to  reform 
on  condition  of  marriage  should  be  dismissed  with 
disdain.  If  a young  man  will  not  determine  to  do 
right  because  it  is  right,  his  motives  are  sordid; 
and  the  probability  is  very  great  that  so  soon  as 
some  stronger  incentive  appeals  to  his  selfishness, 
he  will  forget  his  vows  and  promises  and  relapse 
into  his  former  vices. 


172  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Do  BOt  iDe  in  a Hurry.  A Philosopher's  Opinion. 

Do  Not  Be  in  a Hni’ry. — In  conclusion,  per- 
haps we  could  give  no  more  important  advice  than 
this : Do  not  he  in  a hurry  to  marry.  There  is 
little  danger  that  this  advice  will  do  harm,  for  ten 
illustrations  of  the  evil  results  of  hasty  marriage 
are  seen  to  one  in  which  the  opposite  mistake  is 
made.  It  rarely  happens  that  a marriage  made 
without  consideration  and  due  deliberation  on  the 
part  of  both  parties  is  a happy  one  in  its  results. 
There  are  exceptional  cases  in  which  this  kind  of 
matrimonial  alliances  result  very  satisfactorily ; but 
these  cases  are  quite  exceptional.  The  business  of 
selecting  a partner  for  life,  one  who  is  expected  to 
sustain  the  closest  relation  possible  between  human 
beings,  who  must  be  prepared  to  share  in  another’s 
sorrows  as  well  as  joys,  to  S3rmpathize  with  anoth- 
er’s aspirations  and  appreciate  another’s  motives 
and,  sentiments, — such  a task  is  certainly  one  of 
the  most  serious  of  an  individual’s  life  and  ought 
to  be  entered  upon  with  calmness,  deliberation,  and, 
unbiased  judgment  and  entire  self-control.  When 
making  a decision  which  must  affect  seriously  an 
individual’s  whole  life-time,  passion,  caprice,  and 
all  motives  calculated  to  bias  the  judgment,  should 
be  laid  aside.  The  happiness  and  usefulness  of  a 
whole  life-time  may  be  marred  by  a word.  There 
is  too  much  pending  to  be  in  a hurry. 

A certain  philosopher  once  "compared  a man 
about  to  marry  to  one  who  was  about  to  put  his 


OLD  AND  YOUNG.  173 

The  Eels  and  Serpents,  A Moral  well  Drawn, 

hand  into  a sack  in  which  were  ninety-nine  ser- 
■ pents  and  one  eel ; the  moral  of  which  is  that  there 
are  ninety- nine  chances  to  one  against  a fortunate 
selection.”  If  this  is  true  of  a man  about  to  marry, 
it  is  probably  equally  true  that  a woman  under  the 
same  circumstances  has  nine  hundred  and  ninety- 
nine  chances  against,  for  one  in  favor  of,  a fortu- 
nate selection. 

Chastity. 


SHOU  shalt  not  commit  adultery.”  “Wlio- 
soever  looketh  on  a woman  to  lust  after 
her,  hath  committed  adultery  with  her  already  in 
his  heart.” 

In  these  two  scriptures  we  have  a complete  defi- 
nition of  unchastity.  The  seventh  commandment, 
with  the  Saviour’s  commentary  upon  it,  places 
clearly  before  us  the  fact  that  chastity  requires 
purity  of  thought  as  well  as  of  outward  acts.  Im- 
pure thoughts  and  unchaste  acts  are  alike  viola- 
tions of  the  seventh  commandment.  As  we  shall 
see,  also,  unchastity  of  the  mind  is  a violation  of 
natural  law  as  well  as  of  moral  law,  and  is  ^dsited 
with  physical  punishment  commensurate  to  the 
transgression. 

Mental  Uncliastity. — It  is  vain  for  a man  to 
suppose  himself  chaste  who  allows  his  imagination 
to  run  riot  amid  scenes  of  amorous  associations. 
The  man  whose  lips  delight  in  tales  of  licentious- 
ness, whose  eyes  feast  upon  obscene  pictures,  who 
is  ever  ready  to  pervert  the  meaning  of  a harmless 
word  or  act  into  uncleanness,  who  finds  delight  in 
reading  vivid  portrayals  of  acts  of  lewdness, — such 
a one  is  not  a virtuous  man.  Though  he  may  never 
have  committed  an  overt  act  of  unchastity,  if  he 
174 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


175 


Chastity.  Mental  Uncleannesa. 

cannot  pass  a handsome  female  in  the  street  with- 
out, in  imagination,  approaching  the  secrets  of  her 
person,  he  is  but  one  grade  above  the  open  liber- 
tine, and  is  as  truly  unchaste  as  the  veriest 
debauchee. 

Man  may  not  see  these  mental  adulteries,  he 
may  not  perceive  these  filthy  imaginings ; but  One 
sees  and  notes  them.  They  leave  their  hideous 
scars  upon  the  soul.  They  soil  and  mar  the  mind ; 
and  as  the  record  of  each  day  of  life  is  photo- 
graphed upon  the  books  in  Heaven,  they  each 
appear  in  bold  relief,  in  all  their  innate  hideousness. 

O purity  ! how  rare  a virtue  ! How  rare  to  find 
a face  which  shows  no  trace  of  sensuality ! One 
turns  with  sadness  from  the  thought  that  human 
“ forms  divine  ” have  sunk  so  low.  The  standard 
of  virtue  is  trailing  in  the  dust.  Men  laugh  at 
vice,  and  sneer  at  purity.  The  bawdy  laugh,  the 
ribald  jest,  the  sensual  glance,  the  obscene  song, 
the  filthy  tale,  salute  the  eyes  and  ears  at  every 
street  corner,  in  the  horse-car,  on  the  railroad  train, 
in  the  bar-room,  the  lecture  hall,  the  workshop. 
In  short,  the  works  and  signs  of  vice  are  omni- 
present. 

Foul  thoughts,  once  allowed  to  enter,  the  mind, 
stick  like  the  leprosy.  They  corrode,  contaminate, 
and  infect  like  the  pestilence ; naught  but  Al- 
mighty power  can  deliver  from  the  bondage  of 
concupiscence  a soul  once  infected  by  this  foul 
blight,  this  moral  contagium. 


176 


FLAIX  FACTS  FUli 


Unchastity  of  %Iie  Mind.  Physical  Effects  of  Mental  Unchastity. 

Mental  Uncleanness. — It  is  a wide-spread  and 
deadly  error,  that  only  outward  acts  are  harmful ; 
that  only  physical  transgression  of  the  laws  of 
chastity  will  produce  disease.  We  have  seen  all 
the  efl'ects  of  beastly  abuse  result  from  mental  sin 
alone. 

“ I have  traced  serious  affections  and  very  great 
suffering  to  this  cause.  The  cases  may  occur  at 
any  period  of  life.  We  meet  with  them  frequently 
among  such  as  are  usually  called,  or  think  them- 
selves, continent  young  men.  There  are  large 
classes  of  persons  who  seem  to  think  that  they 
may,  without  moral  guilt,  excite  their  own  feelings 
or  those  of  others  by  loose  or  libidinous  conversa- 
tion in  society,  provided  such  impure  thoughts  of 
acts  are  not  followed  by  masturbation  or  fornica- 
tion. I have  almost  daily  to  tell  such  persons  that 
physically,  and  in  a sanitary  point  of  view,  they 
are  ruining  their  constitutions.  There  are  young 
men  who  almost  pass  their  lives  in  making  carnal 
acquaintances  in  the  street,  but  just  stop  short  of 
seducing  girls ; there  are  others  who  haunt  the 
lower  classes  of  places  of  public  amusement  for  the 
purpose  of  sexual  excitement,  and  live,  in  fact,  a 
thoroughly  immoral  life  in  all  respects  except  act- 
ually going  home  with  prostitutes.  WTien  these 
men  come  to  me,  laboring  under  the  various  fonns 
of  impotence,  they  are  surprised  at  my  suggesting 
to  them  the  possibility  of  the  impairment  of  their 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


177 


Daydreaming.  Amativeness. 

powers  being  dependent  upon  these  previous  vi- 
cious habits.”  * 

“ Those  lascivious  day-dreams  and  amorous  rev- 
eries, in  which  young  people — and  especially  the 
idle  and  the  voluptuous,  and  the  sedentary  and  the 
nervous — are  exceedingly  apt  to  indulge,  are  often 
the  sources  of  general  debility,  effeminacy,  dis- 
ordered functions,  premature  disease,  and  even 
premature  death,  without  the  actual  exercise  of  the 
genital  organs  ! Indeed,  this  unchastity  of  thought 
— this  adultery  of  the  mind — is  the  beginning  of 
immeasurable  evil  to  the  human  family,”  f 

Amativeness. — Certain  phrenologists  contend 
that  the  controlling  center  of  the  sexual  passion  is 
the  cerebellum,  or  little  brain,  which  is  situated  at 
the  lower  and  back  part  of  the  head.  They  ap- 
parently love  to  dwell  upon  the  theme,  and  ride 
their  hobby  upon  all  possible  occasions,  often  in 
the  most  disgusting  manner,  and  always  leaving 
the  impression  that  they  must  be  themselves  suf- 
fering from  perversion  of  the  very  function  of 
which  they  speak. 

There  may  be  some  doubt  whether  the  function 
called  amativeness  is  located  in  the  cerebellum  at 
all ; at  least,  it  is  perfectly  certain  that  amative- 
ness is  not  the  exclusive  function  of  the  cerebellum. 
Says  Carpenter,  the  learned  physiologist,  “The  seat 
of  the  sexual  sensation  is  no  longer  supposed  to  be 
in  the  cerebellum  generally;  but  probably  in  its 


* Acton. 
12 


t Graham. 


178 


FLAiy  FACTS  FOR 


Lust  not  LoTe. 


A Natural  Instinct  Perverted. 


central  portion,  or  some  part  of  the  medulla  oblon- 
gata.” 

The  cerebellum  is  intimately  connected  with  the 
principal  vital  organs ; hence,  if  it  is  largely  devel- 
oped, the  individual  will  possess  a well-developed 
physical  organism  and  a good  degree  of  constitu- 
tional vigor.  He  will  have  vigorous  health,  and 
probably  strong  sexual  powers  ; not,  however,  as  a 
special  function,  but  for  the  same  reason  that  he 
will  have  a good  digestion. 

To  the  majority  of  mankind,  apparently,  ama- 
tiveness, or  sexual  love,  means  lust.  The  faculty 
has  been  lowered  and  debased  until  it  might 
almost  be  considered  practically  synonymous  with 
sensuality.  The  first  step  toward  reform  must  be 
a recognition  of  a higher  and  purer  relation  than 
that  which  centers  every  thought  upon  the  grat- 
ification of  the  animal  in  hmnan  nature.  If  one 
may  judge  from  the  facts  which  now  and  then 
come  to  the  surface  in  society,  it  would  appear  that 
the  opportunity  for  sensual  gratification  had  come 
to  be,  in  the  world  at  large,  the  chief  attraction 
between  the  sexes.  If  to  these  observations  we 
add  the  filthy  disclosures  constantly  made  in  police 
couids  and  scandal  suits,  we  have  a powerful  con- 
firmation of  the  opinion.  Even  ministers,  who 
ought  to  be  “ ensamples  to  the  flock,”  are  rather 
“ blind  leaders  of  the  blind,”  and  fall  into  the  same 
ditch  rvith  the  rest. 

This  perversion  of  a natural  instinct,  and  these 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


179 


Filthy  Dreamers.  Unchaste  Conversation. 

sudden  lapses  from  virtue  which  startle  a small 
portion  of  community  and  afford  a filthy  kind  of 
pleasure  to  the  other  part,  are  but  the  outgrowths 
of  mental  unchastity.  “Filthy  dreamers,”  before 
they  are  aware,  become  filthy  in  action.  The 
thoughts  mold  the  brain,  as  certainly  as  the  brain 
molds  the  thoughts.  Rapidly  down  the  current  of 
sensuality  is  swept  the  individual  who  yields  his 
imagination  to  the  contemplation  of  lascivious 
themes.  Before  he  knows  his  danger,  he  finds  him- 
self deep  in  the  mire  of  concupiscence.  He  may  pre- 
serve a fair  exterior ; but  deception  cannot  cleanse 
the  slime  from  his  putrid  soul.  How  many  a church- 
member  carries  under  a garb  of  piety  a soul  filled 
with  abominations,  no  human  scrutiny  can  tell. 
How  many  pulpits  are  filled  by  “ whited  sepulchers,” 
only  the  Judgment  will  disclose. 

Unchaste  Conversation. — “Out  of  the  abun- 
dance of  the  heart  the  mouth  speaketh.”  “ Every 
idle  word  that  men  shall  speak,  they  shall  give 
account  thereof  in  the  day  of  Judgment.”  “ By 
thy  words  thou  shalt  be  condemned.”  Matt.  12 : 
34,  36,  37.  In  these  three  brief  sentences,  Christ 
presents  the  whole  moral  aspect  of  the  subject  of 
this  paragraph.  To  any  one  who  will  ponder  well 
his  weighty  words,  no  further  remark  is  necessary. 
Let  filthy  talkers  but  consider  for  a moment  what 
a multitude  of  “ idle,”  unclean  words  are  waiting 
for  account  in  the  final  day ; and  then  let  them 
consider  what  a load  of  condemnation  must  roil 


ISO 


PLAIN  PACTS  POP 


Filthy  Talkera.  Demoralizing  Gossip. 

upon  their  guilty  souls  when  strict  justice  is  meted 
out  to  every  one  before  the  bar  of  Omnipotence, 
and  in  the  face  of  all  the  world — of  all  the  universe. 

The  almost  universal  habit  among  boys  and  young 
men  of  relating  filthy  stories,  indulging  in  foul 
jokes,  making  indecent  allusions,  and  subjecting  to 
lewd  criticism  every  passing  female,  is  a most 
abominable  sin.  Such  habits  crush  out  pure 
thoughts  ; they  annihilate  respect  for  virtue  ; they 
make  the  mind  a quagmire  of  obscenity ; they  lead 
to  overt  acts  of  lewdness. 

But  boys  and  youths  are  not  alone  in  this.  More 
often  than  otherwise,  they  gain  from  older  ones 
the  phraseology  of  vice.  And  if  the  sin  is  loath- 
some in  such  youthful  ti’ansgressors,  what  detesta- 
ble enormity  must  characterize  it  in  the  old. 

And  women,  too,  are  not  without  their  share  in 
this  accursed  thing,  this  ghost  of  vice,  which  haunts 
the  sewing-circle  and  the  parlor  as  well  as  the  club- 
room.  They  do  not,  of  course,  often  descend  to 
those  black  depths  of  vulgarity  to  wliich  the 
coai’ser  sex  will  go,  but  couch  in  finer  terms  the 
same  foul  thoughts,  and  hide  in  loose  insinuations 
more  smut  than  words  could  well  express.  Women 
who  think  themselves  rare  paragons  of  virtue  can 
find  no  greater  pleasure  than  in  the  discussion  of 
the  latest  scandal,  speculations  about  the  chastity 
of  Mrs.  A.  or  Mr.  B.,  and  gossip  about  the  “ fall  ” of 
this  man’s  daughter  or  the  amorous  adventui'es  of 
that  woman’s  son. 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


181 


Causes  of  tJnchastity.  Perverting  Influence  of  Civilization. 

Masculine  purity  loves  to  regard  woman  as  chaste 
in  mind  as  well  as  in  body,  to  surround  her  witl 
conceptions  of  purity  and  impregnable  virtue ; but 
the  conclusion  is  irresistible  that  those  who  can 
gloat  over  others’  lapses  from  viidue,  and  find  de- 
light in  such  questionable  entertainments  as  the 
most  recent  case  of  seduction,  or  the  newest  scandal, 
have  need  to  purify  their  hearts  and  re-enforce 
their  waning  chastity.  Nevertheless,  a writer  says, 
and  perhaps  truly,  that  “ the  women  comprise  about 
all  the  real  virtue  there  is  in  the  world.”  Certainly 
if  they  were  one-half  as  bad  as  the  masculine  por- 
tion of  humanity,  the  world  would  be  vastly  worse 
than  it  is. 

Causes  of  Uncliastity. — Travelers  among  the 
North  American  Indians  have  been  struck  with  the 
almost  entire  absence  of  that  abandonment  to  vice 
which  might  be  expected  in  a race  uninfluenced  by 
the  moral  restraints  of  Christianity.  When  first 
discovered  in  their  native  wilds,  they  were  free 
from  both  the  vices  and  the  consequent  diseases  of 
civilization.  This  fact  points  unmistakably  to  the 
conclusion  that  there  must  be  something  in  the  re- 
finements and  perversions  of  civilized  life  which  is 
unfavorable  to  chastity,  notwithstanding  all  the  re- 
straints which  religion  and  the  conventionalisms 
of  society  impose.  Can  we  find  such  influences  ? 
Yes ; they  abound  on  every  hand  and  leave  their 
blight  in  most  unwelcome  places,  oft  unsuspected, 
even,  till  the  work  of  ruin  is  complete. 


182 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOB 


Early  Causes.  Diet  vs.  Chastity. 

Early  Causes. — The  earliest  of  all  causes  is 
hereditary  predisposition.  As  we  have  shown,  a 
child  conceived  in  lust  can  no  more  be  chaste  by 
nature  than  a negro  can  be  a Caucasian.  But  back 
of  this  there  is  a deeper  cause,  as  we  shall  see,  one 
that  affects  parents  as  well  as  offspring.  Between 
infancy  and  puberty,  are  in  operation,  all  those  in- 
fluences mentioned  under  “ Sexual  Precocity.” 

The  frequent  custom  of  allowing  children  of  the 
opposite  sex  to  sleep  together,  even  until  eight  or 
ten  years  of  age,  or  longer,  is  a dangero\is  one. 
We  have  known  of  instances  in  which  little  boys 
of  seven  or  eight  have  been  allowed  to  sleep  with 
girls  of  fourteen  or  sixteen,  in  some  of  which  most 
shameful  lessons  were  taught,  and  by  persons  who 
would  not  be  suspected  of  such  an  impropriety.  In 
one  instance  a little  boy  of  eight,  occupying  the 
same  bed  with  three  girls  several  years  older,  was 
used  for  illustration  by  the  older  girl  in  instructing 
the  younger  ones  in  the  'modus  operandi  of  repro- 
duction. The  sexes  should  be  carefully  separated 
from  each  other  at  least  as  early  as  four  or  five 
years  of  age,  under  all  circumstances  which  could 
afford  opportunity  for  observing  the  physical  dif- 
ferences of  the  sexes,  or  in  any  -way  serve  to  excite 
those  passions  which  at  this  tender  age  should  be 
wholly  dormant. 

Diet  vs.  Chastity. — From  earliest  infancy  to 
impotent  old  age,  under  the  perverting  influence  of 
civilization,  there  is  a constant  antagonism  between 


OLD  AND  TOUNG. 


183 


Beginning  of  Vice.  How  the  Passions  Are  Excited. 

diet  and  purity.  Sometimes — rarely  we  hope — the 
helpless  infant  imbibes  the  essence  of  libidinous 
desires  with  its  mother’s  milk,  and  thence  receives 
upon  its  forming  brain  the  stamp  of  vice.  When 
old  enough  to  take  food  in  the  ordinary  way,  the 
infant’s  tender  organs  of  digestion  are  plied  with 
highly  seasoned  viands,  stimulating  sauces,  animal 
food,  sweetmeats,  and  dainty  tidbits  in  endless 
variety.  Soon,  tea  and  coffee  are  added  to  the  list. 
Salt,  pepper,  ginger,  mustard,  condiments  of  every 
sort,  deteriorate  his  daily  food.  If,  perchance,  he 
does  not  die  at  once  of  indigestion,  or  with  his 
weakened  forces  fall  a speedy  victim  to  the  dis- 
eases incident  to  infancy,  he  has  his  digestive 
organs  impaired  for  life  at  the  very  outset  of  his 
existence. 

Exciting  stimulants  and  condiments  weaken  and 
irritate  his  nerves  and  derange  the  circulation. 
Thus,  indirectly,  they  affect  the'  sexual  system, 
which  suffers  through  sympathy  with  the  other  or- 
gans. But  a more  direct  injury  is  done.  Flesh, 
condiments,  eggs,  tea,  coffee,  chocolate,  and  all 
stimrdants,  have  a powerful  influence  directly 
upon  the  reproductive  organs.  They  increase  the 
local  supply  of  blood ; and  through  nervous  sym- 
pathy with  the  brain,  the  passions  are  aroused. 

Overeating,  eating  between  meals,  hasty  eating, 
eating  indigestible  articles  of  food,  late  suppers, 
react  upon  the  sexual  organs  with  the  utmost  cer- 
tainty. Any  disturbance  of  the  digestive  function 


184. 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 


Clerical  Lapses.  AVho  Is  Kesponsible  ? 

deteriorates  the  quality  of  the  blood.  Poor  blood, 
filled  with  crude,  poorly  digested  food,  is  ins- 
tating to  the  nervous  system,  and  especially  to 
those  extremely  delicate  nerves  which  govern  the 
reproductive  function.  Irritation  provokes  con- 
gestion ; congestion  excites  sexual  desires ; excited 
passions  increase  the  local  disturbance ; and  thus 
each  reacts  upon  the  other,  ever  increasing  the 
injury  and  the  liability  to  future  damage. 

Thus,  these  exciting  causes  continue  their  insid- 
ious work  through  youth  and  more  mature  years. 
Right  under  the  eyes  of  fathers  and  mothers  they 
work  the  ruin  of  their  children,  exciting  such 
storms  of  passion  as  are  absolutely  uncontrollable. 

Clerical  Lapses. — Our  most  profound  disgust 
is  justly  excited  when  we  hear  of  laxity  of  morals 
in  a clergyman.  We  naturally  feel  that  one  whose 
calling  is  to  teach  his  fellow-men  the  way  of  truth, 
and  right,  and  purity,  should  himself  he  free  from 
taint  of  immorality.  But  when  we  consider  how 
these  ministers  are  fed,  we  cannot  suppress  a mo- 
mentary disposition  to  excuse,  in  some  degree, 
their  fault.  When  the  minister  goes  out  to  tea,  he 
is  served  with  the  richest  cake,  the  choicest  jellies, 
the  most  pungent  sauces,  and  the  finest  of  fine- 
flour  hread-stufis.  Little  does  the  indulgent  host- 
ess dream  that  she  is  ministering  to  the  inflamma- 
tion of  passions  which  may  imperil  the  virtue  of 
her  daughter,  or  even  her  o-wn.  Salacity  once 
aroused,  even  in  a minister,  allows  no  room  for 


OLD  AND  TO  UNO. 


185 


Tebacco  and  Vice.  A Grave  Charge  Against  Tobacco. 

reason  or  for  conscience.  If  women  wish  to  pre- 
serve the  virtue  of  their  ministers,  let  them  feed 
them  more  in  accordance  with  the  laws  of  health. 
Ministers  are  not  immaculate. 

The  remedy  for  the  dangers  to  chastity  arising 
from  this  source,  is  pointed  out  in  the  article  on 
“ Continence.” 

Tobacco  and  Vice. — Few  are  aware  of  the  in- 
fluence upon  morals  exerted  by  that  filthy  habit, 
tobacco-using.  When  acquired  early,  it  excites 
the  undeveloped  organs,  arouses  the  passions,  and 
in  a few  years  converts  the  once  chaste  and  pure 
youth  into  a veritable  volcano  of  lust,  belching  out 
from  its  inner  fires  of  passion  torrents  of  obscenity 
and  the  sulphurous  fumes  of  lasciviousness.  If  long- 
continued,  the  final  effect  of  tobacco  is  emasculation ; 
hut  this  is  only  the  necessary  consequence  of  pre- 
vious super-excitation.  The  lecherous  day-dreams 
in  which  many  smokers  indulge,  are  a species 
of  fornication  for  which  even  a brute  ought  to 
blush,  if  such  a crime  were  possible  for  a brute. 
The  mental  libertine  does  not  confine  himself  to 
bagnios  and  women  of  the  town.  In  the  foulness 
of  his  imagination,  he  invades  the  sanctity  of 
virtue  wherever  his  erotic  fancy  leads  him. 

We  are  aware  that  we  have  made  a grave 
charge  against  tobacco,  and  we  have  not  hesitated 
to  state  the  naked  truth  ; yet  we  do  not  think  we 
have  exaggerated,  in  the  least,  the  pernicious  in- 
fluence of  this  foul  drug.  As  much,  or  nearly  as 


!8<3  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Bad  Books.  Mr.  Comstock’s  Testimony. 

much,  might  be  said  against  the  use  of  liquor,  on 
the  same  grounds. 

Bad  Books. — Another  potent  enemy  of  virtue 
is  the  obscene  literature  which  has  flooded  the 
land  for  many  years.  Circulated  by  secret  agen- 
cies, these  books  have  found  their  way  into  the 
most  secluded  districts.  Nearly  every  large  school 
contains  one  of  these  emissaries  of  evil  men  and 
their  Satanic  master.  Some  idea  of  the  enor- 
mity and  extent  of  this  evil  may  be  gained  from 
the  following  quotations  from  a published  letter  of 
Mr.  Amthony  Comstock,  who  has  been  for  some 
time  employed  by  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  As- 
sociation in  suppressing  the  traffic  by  arresting  the 
publishers  and  destroying  their  goods  : — 

“ I have  succeeded  in  unearthing  this  hydra- 
headed monster  in  part,  as  you  will  see  by  the 
following  statement,  which,  in  many  respects, 
might  be  truthfully  increased  in  quantity.  These 
I have  seized  and  destroyed : — 

“ Obscene  photographs,  stereoscopic  and  other 
pictures,  more  than  one  hundred  and  eightj^-two 
thousand ; obscene  books  and  pamphlets,  more 
than  five  tons  ; obscene  letter-press  in  sheets,  more 
than  two  tons  ; sheets  of  impure  songs,  catalogues, 
handbills,  etc.,  more  than  twenty-one  thousand ; 
obscene  microscopic  watch  and  knife  charms,  and 
finger-rings,  more  than  five  thousand  ; obscene  neg- 
ative plates  for  printing  photograplis  and  stereo- 
scopic views,  about  six  hundred  and  twenty-five  r 


OLD  AND  TOUNO. 


187 


Astonishing  Abominations.  Dissemination  of  Obscene  Books. 

obscene  engraved  steel  and  copper  plates,  three 
hundred  and  fifty ; obscene  lithographic  stones  de- 
stroyed, twenty ; obscene  wood-cut  engravings, 
more  than  five  hundred ; stereotype  plates  for 
printing  obscene  books,  more  than  five  tons ; ob- 
scene transparent  playing-cards,  nearly  six  thou- 
sand; obscene  and  immoral  rubber  articles!,  ovei 
thirty  thousand ; lead  molds  for  manufacturing 
rubber  goods,  twelve  sets,  or  more  than  seven 
hundred  pounds ; newspapers  seized,  about  four 
thousand  six  hundred ; letters  from  all  parts  of  the 
country  ordering  these  goods,  about  fifteen  thou- 
sand; names  of  dealers  in  account-books  seized, 
about  six  thousand ; lists  of  names  in  the  hands  of 
dealers,  that  are  sold  as  merchandise  to  forward 
circulars  or  catalogues  to,  independent  of  letters 
and  account-books  seized,  more  than  seven  thou- 
sand; arrest  of  dealers  since  Oct.  9,  1871,  more 
than  fifty.” 

“ These  abominations  are  disseminated  by  these 
men  first  obtaining  the  names  and  addresses  of 
scholars  and  students  in  our  schools  and  colleges, 
and  then  forwarding  circulars.  They  secure  thou- 
sands of  names  in  this  way,  either  by  sending  for 
a catalogue  of  schools,  seminaries,  and  colleges, 
under  a pretense  of  sending  a child  to  attend  these 
places,  or  else  by  sending  out  a circular  purporting 
to  be  getting  up  a directory  of  all  the  scholars  and 
students  in  schools  and  colleges  in  the  United 
States,  or  of  taking  the  census  of  all  the  unmarried 


188  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

A Nefarions  Business.  Wholesome  Laws. 

people,  and  ofiering  to  pay  five  cents  per  name  for 
lists  so  sent.  I need  not  say  that  the  money  is 
seldom  or  never  sent,  but  I do  say  that  these 
names,  together  with  those  that  come  in  reply  to 
advertisements,  are  sold  to  other  parties ; so  that 
when  a man  desires  to  engage  in  this  nefarious 
business,  he  has  only  to  purchase  a list  of  these 
names,  and  then  your  child,  be  it  son  or  daughter, 
is  liable  to  have  thrust  into  its  hands,  all  unknown 
to  you,  one  of  these  devilish  catalogues.” 

“ Since  the  destruction  of  the  stereotype  plates 
of  old  books,  secret  circulars  have  been  discovered  , 
of  a notice  to  dealers  that  twelve  new  books  are  in 
course  of  preparation,  and  will  soon  be  ready  for 
delivery.”  ' 

Says  Hon.  C.  L.  Merriam,  as  quoted  by  Dr. 

Lewis  : “We  find  that  the  dealers  in  obscene  liter- 
atuie  have  organized  circulating  libraries,  which  i 
ai'e  under  the  charge  of  the  most  vicious  boys  in 
the  schools,  boys  chosen  and  paid  by  the  venders, 
and  who  circulate  among  the  students,  at  ten  cents 
a volume,  any  of  the  one  hundred  and  forty-four 
obscene  books  heretofore  published  in  New  York  . 
City.”  i 

Largely  through  the  influence  of  Mr.  Comstock, 
laws  have  been  enacted  which  promise  to  do  much 
toward  checking  this  extensive  evil,  or  at  least 
causing  it  to  make  itself  less  prominent.  Our 
newspapers  still  abound  with  advertisements  of 
various  so-called  medical  works,  “Marriage  Guides,”  | 


OLD  AND  YOTJNQ.  189 

Laws  Ineffectual.  A Poisoned  Literature.  Idleness. 

etc.,  which  are  fruits  of  the  same  “ upas-tree  ” that 

Mr.  Comstock  has  labored  so  faithfully  to  uproot. 

It  is  a painful  fact,  howevei-,  that  the  total  an- 
nihilation of  every  foul  hook  which  the  law  can 
reach  will  not  effect  the  cure  of  this  evil,  for  our 
modern  literature  is  full  of  the  same  virus.  It  is 
necessarily  presented  in  less  grossly  revolting- 
forms,  half  concealed  by  beautiful  imagery,  or 
embellished  by  wit ; but  yet,  there  it  is,  and  no 
law  can  reach  it.  The  works  of  our  standard 
authors  in  literature  abound  in  lubricity.  Popular 
novels  have  doubtless  done  more  to  arouse  a pru- 
rient curiosity  in  the  young,  and  to  excite  and 
foster  passion  and  immorality,  than  even  the  ob- 
scene literature  for  the  suppression  of  which  such 
active  measures  have  recently  been  taken.  The 
more  exquisitely  painted  the  scenes  of  vice,  the 
more  dangerously  enticing.  Novel-reading  has  led 
thousands  to  lives  of  dissoluteness. 

Idleness. — This  evil  is  usually  combined  with 
the  preceding.  To  maintain  purity,  the  mind  must 
be  occupied.  If  left  without  occupation,  the  va- 
cuity is  quickly  filled  with  unchaste  thoughts. 
Nothing  can  be  worse  for  a child  than  to  be 
reared  in  idleness.  His  morals  will  be  certain  to 
suffer.  Incessant  mental  occupation  is  the  only 
safeguard  against  unchastity.  Those  worthless 
fops  who  spend  their  lives  in  “ killing  time  ” by 
lounging  about  bar-rooms,  loafing  on  sti’eet  corners, 
or  strutting  up  and  down  the  boulevard,  are  any- 

.. 

IPO  PLAIN  FACTS  FOP 

Sentimental  Young  Women.  Dress  and  Sensuality. 

thing  but  chaste.  Those  equally  worthless  young 
women  who  waste  their  lives  on  sofas  or  in  eas}'- 
chairs,  occupied  only  with  some  silly  novel,  or 
idling  away  life’s  precious  hours  in  reverie — such 
cseatures  are  seldom  the  models  of  purity  one 
would  wish  to  think  them.  If  born  with  a natural 
propensity  toward  sin,  such  a life  would  soon  en-  I 
gender  a diseased,  impure  imagination,  if  nothing  ^ 
worse.  i 

Dress  and  Sensuality. — There  are  two  ways  in 
which  fashionable  dress  leads  to  unchastity ; viz., 

1.  By  its  extravagance;  2.  By  its  abuse  of  the  ' 
body. 

How  does  extravagance  lead  to  unchastity  ? By 
creating  the  temptation  to  sin.  It  affects  not  those  ' 
gorgeously  attired  ladies  who  ride  in  fine  carriages, 
and  live  in  brown-stone  fronts,  who  are  surrounded 
with  all  the  luxuries  that  wealth  can  purchase — i 

fine  apparel  is  no  temptation  to  such.  . But  to  less  j 
favored — though  not  less  worthy — ones,  these  mag- 
nificent displays  of  millinery  goods  and  fine 
trappings  are  most  powerful  temptations.  The  poor 
seamstress,  who  can  earn  by  diligent  toil  hardh^ 
enough  to  pay  her  board  bill,  has  no  legitimate 
way  by  which  to  deck  herseK  with  the  finery  she 
admires.  Plainly  dressed  as  she  must  be  if  she 
remains  honest  and  retains  her  virtue,  she  is  scorn-  ! 
fully  ignored  by  her  proud  sisters.  Everj"where  i 
she  finds  it  a generally  recognized  fact  that  “ dress 
makes  the  lady.”  On  the  street,  no  one  steps  ! 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


191 


How  Yjung  Women  Fall.  Allurements  of  Vice. 

aside  to  let  her  pass,  no  one  stoops  to  regain  for 
her  the  package  that  slips  from  her  weary  hands. 
Does  she  enter  a crowded  car,  no  one  offers  her  a 
seat,  though  she  is  trembling  with  fatigue,  while 
the  showily  dressed  woman  who  follows  her  is 
accommodated  at  once.  She  marks  the  difference ; 
she  does  not  pause  to  count  the  cost,  but  barters 
away  her  self-respect,  to  gain  the  respect,  or  defer- 
ence, of  strangers. 

How  Young  Women  Fall. — It  has  been  au- 
thoritatively stated  that  there  are,  in  our  large 
cities,  hundreds  of  young  women  who,  being 
able  to  earn  barely  enough  to  buy  food  and  fuel 
and  pay  the  rent  of  a dismal  attic,  take  the  advice 
offered  by  their  employers,  “ Get  some  gentleman 
friend  to  dress  you  for  your  company.”  Others 
spend  all  their  small  earnings  to  keep  themselves 
“respectably”  dressed,  and  share  the  board  and 
lodgings  of  some  young  rou^  as  heartless  as  incon- 
tinent. Persons  unaccustomed  to  city  life,  and 
thousands  of  people  in  the  very  heart  of  our  great 
metropolis,  have  no  conception  of  the  frightful 
prevalence  of  this  kind  of  prostitution.  Young 
women  go  to  our  large  cities  as  pure  as  snow. 
They  find  no  lucrative  employment.  Daily  con- 
tact with  vice  obtunds  their  first  abhorrence  of  it. 
Gradually  it  becomes  familiar.  A fancied  life  of 
ease  presents  allurements  to  a hard-worked  sewing- 
girl.  Fine  clothes  and  comfortable  lodgings  in- 
crease the  temptation.  She  yields,  and  barters  her 


192  PLAIN  PACTS  FOB 

A Commendable  Reform.  Faahion  and  Vice. 

body  for  a home  without  the  trouble  of  a marriage 
ceremony. 

Wealthy  women  could  do  more  to  cure  the 
“ social  evil  ” by  adopting  plain  attire  than  all  the 
civil  authorities  by  passing  license  laws  or  regu- 
lating ordinances.  Have  not  Christian  women  a 
duty  here  ? A few  years  ago,  some  Nashville 
ladies  made  a slight  move  in  the  right  direction, 
as  indicated  in  the  following  paragraph ; but  we 
have  not  heard  that  their  example  has  been  fol- 
lowed : — 

“ The  lady  members  of  the  first  Baptist  Church, 
of  Nashville,  Tenn.,  have  agreed  that  they  will 
dispense  with  all  finery  on  Sunday,  wearing  no 
jewels  but  consistency,  and  hereafter  appear  at 
church  in  plain  calico  dresses.” 

A more  radical  reform  would  have  been  an  ex- 
tension of  the  salutary  measure  to  all  other  days  of 
the  week  as  well  as  Sundav ; though  we  see  no 
reason  for  restricting  the  material  of  clothing  to 
calico,  which  might,  indeed,  be  rather  insufficient 
for  some  seasons  of  the  year. 

Fashion  and  Tice. — Let  us  glance  at  the  sec- 
ond manner  in  which  dress  lends  its  infiuence  to 
vice,  by  obstructing  the  normal  functions  of  the 
body.  1.  Fashion  requires  a woman  to  compress 
her  waist  with  bands  or  corsets.  In  consequence, 
the  circulation  of  the  blood  toward  the  heart  is 
obstructed.  The  venous  blood  is  crowded  back 
into  the  delicate  organs  of  generation.  Congestion 


OLD  AND  YOUNG,  I93 

Depraving  Influence  of  Dress.  iteform  in  Dress  Needed. 

ensues,  and  with  it,  through  reflex  action,  the  un- 
natural excitement  of  the  animal  propensities.  2. 
The  manner  of  wearing  the  clothing,  suspending 
several  heavy  garments  from  the  hips,  increases 
the  same  difficulty  by  bringing  too  large  a share  of 
clothing  where  it  is  least  needed,  thus  generating 
unnatural  local  heat.  3.  The  custom  of  clothing 
the  feet  and  limbs  so  thinly  that  they  are  exposed 
to  constant  chilling,  by  still  further  unbalancing 
the  circulation,  adds  another  element  to  increase 
the  local  mischief. 

All  of  these  causes  combined,  operating  almost 
constantly, — with  others  that  might  be  mentioned,, 
—produce  permanent  local  congestions,  with  ova- 
rian and  uterine  derangements.  The  latter  affec- 
tions have  long  been  recognized  as  the  chief  patho- 
logical condition  in  hysteria,  and  especially  in  that 
peculiar  form  of  disease  known  as  nyimphomania, 
under  the  excitement  of  which  a young  woman, 
naturally  chaste  and  modest,  may  be  impelled  to 
the  commission  of  the  most  wanton  acts.  The 
pernicious  influence  of  fashionable  dress  in  occa- 
sioning this  disorder  cannot  be  doubted. 

RefoFiEi  in  liress  Needed. — The  remedy  for 
these  evils,  the  only  way  to  escape  them,  is  refor- 
mation. The  dress  must  be  so  adjusted  to  the 
body  that  ©very  organ  will  be  allowed  free  move- 
ment. N©  corset,  band,  belt,  or  other  means  of 
constriction,  should  impede  the  circulation.  Gar- 
ments should  be  i-^ospended  fiorn  the  shoulders  by 
13 


194 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOE 


Fashionable  Dissipation.  Highly  Seasoned  Food. 

means  of  a waist,  or  proper  suspenders.  The 
limbs  should  be  as  warmly  clad  as  any  other  por- 
tion of  the  body.  How  best  to  secure  these  re- 
quirements of  health  may  be  learned  from  several 
excellent  works  on  dress  reform,  any  of  which  can 
be  readily  obtained  of  the  publishers  of  this  work 
or  their  agents. 

Fashionable  Dissipation. — The  influence  of  so 
important  an  agent  for  evil  in  this  direction  as  fash- 
ionable dissipation,  cannot  be  ignored.  By  fashion- 
able dissipation  we  mean  that  class  of  excesses  in 
the  indulgence  in  which  certain  classes,  usually  the 
more  wealthy  or  aristocratic,  pride  themselves. 
Among  this  class  of  persons  a man  who  is  known 
to  be  a common  drunkard  would  not  be  recognized ; 
such  a person  would  be  carefully  shunned  ; yet  a 
total  abstainer  would  be  avoided  with  almost  equal 
care,  and  would  be  regarded  as  a fanatic  or  an  ex- 
tremist at  least.  With  persons  of  this  class,  wine- 
drinking is  considered  necessary  as  a matter  of  pro- 
priety. Along  with  wine  are  taken  the  great  vari- 
ety of  highly  seasoned  foods,  spices,  and  condiments 
in  profusion,  with  rich  meats  and  all  sorts  of  deli- 
cacies, rich  desserts,  etc.,  which  can  hardly  be  con- 
sidered much  less  harmful  than  stimulants  of  a 
more  generally  recognized  character. 

These  indulgences  excite  that  part  of  the  system 
which  generally  needs  restraint  rather  than  stimu- 
lation. A participant,  an  ex -governor,  recently  de- 
scribed to  us  a grand  political  dinner  given  in  honor 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


195 


Popular  Gormandizing,  Tendency  of  Luxury. 

of  a noted  American  citizen,  which  began  at  5 P.  M., 
and  continued  until  nearly  midnight,  continuous 
courses  of  foods,  wines,  etc.,  being  served  for  nearly 
six  hours.  Similar  scenes  have  been  enacted  in  a 
score  of  our  large  cities  for  the  same  ostensible  pur- 
pose. Knowing  that  public  men  are  addicted  to 
such  gormandizing  on  numerous  occasions,  we  do 
not  wonder  that  so  many  of  them  are  men  of  loose 
morals. 

The  tendency  of  luxury  is  toward  demoraliza- 
tion. Rome  never  became  dissipated  and  corrupt 
until  her  citizens  became  wealthy,  and  adopted  lux- 
urious modes  of  living.  Nothing  is  much  more  con- 
ducive to  sound  morals  than  full  occupation  of  the 
mind  with  useful  labor.  Fashionable  idleness  is  a 
foe  to  virtue.  The  young  man  or  the  young  woman 
who  wastes  the  precious  hours  of  life  in  listless 
dreaming,  or  in  that  sort  of  senseless  twaddle  which 
forms  the  bulk  of  the  conversation  in  some  circles, 
is  in  very  great  danger  of  demoralization.  Many 
of  the  usages  and  customs  of  fashionable  society 
seem  to  open  the  door  to  vice,  and  to  insidiously, 
and  at  first  unconsciously,  lead  the  young  and  in- 
experienced away  from  the  paths  of  purity  and  vir- 
tue. There  is  good  evidence  that  the  amount  of 
immorality  among  what  are  known  as  the  higher 
classes  is  every  year  increasing.  Every  now  and 
then  a scandal  in  high  life  comes  to  the  surface ; 
but  the  great  mass  of  corruption  is  effectually  hid- 
den from  the  general  public.  Open  profligacy  is  of 


196 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 


Round  Dances.  The  Dance  of  Death. 

course  frowned  upon  in  all  respectable  circles ; and 
yet  wealth  and  accomplishments  will  cover  a mul- 
titude of  sins. 

This  freedom  allowed  to  the  vile  and  vicious  is 
one  of  the  worst  features  of  fashionable  society. 
Such  persons  carry  about  them  a moi’al  atmosphere 
more  deadly  than  the  dreaded  upas-tree. 

Bound  Dances. — Whatever  apologies  may  be 
offered  for  other  forms  of  the  dance  as  means  of 
exercise  under  certain  restrictions,  employed  as  a 
form  of  calisthenics,  no  such  excuse  can  be  framed 
in  defense  of  “ round  dances,”  especially  of  the 
waltz.  In  addition  to  the  associated  dissipation, 
late  hours,  fashionable  di'essing,  midnight  feasting, 
exposures  through  excessive  exertions  and  improper 
dress,  etc.,  it  can  be  shown  most  clearly  that  danc- 
ing nas  a direct  influence  in  stimulating  the  pas- 
sions and  provoking  unchaste  desires,  which  too 
often  lead  tc  unchaste  acts,  and  a^e  in  th^^mselves 
violations  of  the  requirements  of  strict  morality, 
and  productive  of  injury  to  both  mind  and  body. 

Said  the  renowme^l  i'etrarch,  “ The  dance  is  the 
spur  of  lust — a circle  of  wiiicli  the  devil  himself  is 
the  center.  Many  women  that  use  it  have  come 
dishonest  homt,  jio?.-:  indifierent,  none  better.” 

We  camiot  do  better  onan  to  quote  on  this  sub- 
ject from  a little  work  entitled,  “The  Dance  of 
Death,”  the  author  of  which  has  given  a great 
amount  of  attention  to  this  subject,  and  presents 
its  evils  in  a very  forcible  light,  as  follows : — 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


197 


A Scene  of  Vice.  Stimulating  the  Passions. 

“ A score  of  forms  whirl  swiftly  before  us  under 
the  softened  gaslight.  I say  a score  of  forms — 
but  each  is  double— they  would  have  made  two 
score  before  the  dancing  began.  Twenty  floating 
visions — each  male  and  female.  Twenty  women, 
knit  and  growing  to  as  many  men,  undulate,  sway, 
and  swirl  giddily  before  us,  keeping  time  with  the 
delirious  melody  of  piano,  harp,  and  violin. 

“ But  draw  nearer — let  us  see  how  this  miracle 
is  accomplished.  Do  you  mark  yonder  couple  who 
seem  to  excel  the  rest  in  grace  and  ardor.  Let 
us  take  this  couple  for  a sample.  He  is  stalwart, 
agile,  mighty ; she  is  tall,  supple,  lithe,  and  how 
beautiful  in  form  and  feature ! Her  head  rests 
upon  his  shoulder,  her  face  is  upturned  to  his  ; her 
naked  arm  is  almost  around  his  neck ; her  swelling- 
breast  heaves  tumultuously  against  his ; face  to 
face  they  whirl,  his  limbs  interwoven  with  her 
limbs ; with  strong  right  arm  about  her  yielding 
waist,  he  presses  her  to  him  till  every  curve  in  the 
contour  of  her  lovely  body  thrills  with  the  amorous 
contact.  Her  eyes  look  into  his,  but  she  sees 
nothing ; the  soft  music  fills  the  room,  but  she 
hears  nothing ; swiftly  he  whirls  her  from  the  floor 
or  bends  her  frail  body  to  and  fro  in  his  embrace. 

“With  a last,  low  wail  the  music  ceases.  Her 
swooning  senses  come  back  to  life.  Ah,  must  it 
be ! Yes ; her  companion  releases  her  from  his 
embrace.  Leaning  wearily  upon  his  arm,  the  rapt- 
ure faded  from  her  eye,  the  flush  dying  from  her 


198 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOli 


Enervating  Pleasures.  An  Eminent  Woman’s  Confession. 

cheek — enervated,  limp,  listless,  wom  out — she  is 
led  to  a seat,  there  to  recover  from  her  delirium 
and  gather  her  energies  as  best  she  may  in  the 
space  of  five  minutes,  after  which  she  must  yield 
her  body  to  a new  embrace.” 

“■  And  now  tell  me,  friend  of  mine,  did  you  not 
recognize  an  old  acquaintance  in  the  lady  we  have 
been  watching  so  closely  ? No  ! Then  believe  me  ; 
she  is  no  other  than  the  ‘ pure  and  lovely  girl’  you 
so  much  admired  earlier  in  the  evening,  the  so  de- 
sirable wife,  the  angel  who  was  to  ‘ haunt  your 
dreams.’  ” 

The  author  just  quoted  publishes  in  his  little 
work  a letter  from  a woman  of  great  ability  and 
strength  of  mind,  of  unblemished  character  and 
national  reputation,  wi’itten  in  response  to  his  re- 
quest for  her  opinion  of  the  dance.  The  statements 
made  in  this  remarkable  letter  are  so  clear  and  con- 
vincing that  every  parent  ought  to  read  it.  We 
quote  the  chief  portions  as  follows : — 

“ ' I will  venture  to  lay  bare  a young  girl’s  heart 
and  mind  by  giving  you  my  own  experience  in  the 
days  when  I waltzed. 

“ ' In  those  times  I cared  little  for  Polka  or  Yar- 
sovienne,  and  still  less  for  the  old-fashioned  “Money 
Musk  ” or  “ Yirmnia  Reel,”  and  wondered  what 
people  could  find  to  admire  in  those  “ slow  dances.” 
But  in  the  soft  floating  of  the  waltz  I found  a 
strange  pleasure,  rather  difiicult  to  intelligibly  de- 
scribe. The  mere  anticipation  fluttered  my  pulse. 


OLT)  AND  YOUNG. 


199 


tJncomprehended  Pleasures.  The  Sensuous  Waltz. 

and  when  my  partner  approached  to  claim  my 
promised  hand  for  the  dance,  I felt  my  cheeks  glow 
a little  sometimes,  and  I could  not  look  him  in  the 
eyes  with  the  same  frank  gayety  as  heretofore. 

“ ‘ But  the  climax  of  my  confusion  was  reached 
when,  folded  in  his  warm  embrace,  and  giddy  with 
the  whirl,  a strange,  sweet  thrill  would  shake  me 
from  head  to  foot,  leaving  me  weak  and  almost 
powerless,  and  really  almost  obliged  to  depend  for 
support  upon  the  arm  which  encircled  me.  If  my 
partner  failed  from  ignorance,  lack  of  skill,  or 
innocence,  to  arouse  these,  to  me,  most  pleasurable 
sensations,  I did  not  dance  with  him  the  second 
time. 

“ ‘ I am  speaking  openly  and  frankly,  and  when 
I say  that  I did  not  understand  what  I felt,  or  what 
were  the  real  and  greatest  pleasures  I derived  from 
this  so-called  dancing,  I expect  to  be  believed.  But 
if  my  cheeks  grew  red  with  uncomprehended  pleas- 
ure then,  they  grow  pale  with  shame  to-day  when 
I think  of  it  all.  It  was  the  physical  emotions  en- 
gendered by  the  contact  of  strong  men  that  I was 
enamored  of — not  of  the  dance,  nor  even  of  the 
men  themselves. 

“‘Thus  I became  abnormally  developed  in  my 
lowest  nature.  I grew  bolder,  and  from  being  able 
to  return  shy  glances  at  first,  was  soon  able  to  meet 
more  daring  ones,  until  the  waltz  became  to  me  and 
whomsoever  danced  with  me,  one  lingering,  sweet, 
and  purely  sensual  pleasure,  where  heart  beat 


200 


PLAIN  PACTS  FOR 


The  Downward  Koad. 


The  Same  Experience  GeneraL 


against  heart,  hand  was  held  in  hand,  and  eyes 
looked  burning  words  which  lips  dared  not  speak. 

“ ‘ All  this  while  no  one  said  to  me,  You  do  wrongr: 
SO  I dreamed  of  sweet  words  whispered  during  the 
dance,  and  often  felt  while  alone  a thrill  of  joy  in- 
describable yet  overpowering  when  my  mind  would 
turn  from  my  studies  to  remember  a piece  of  temer- 
ity of  unusual  grandeur  on  the  part  of  one  or 
another  of  my  cavaliers. 


“ ‘ Girls  talk  to  each  other.  I was  still  a school 
girl,  although  mixing  so  much  with  the  world.  "We 
talked  together.  We  read  romances  that  fed  our 
romantic  passions  on  seasoned  food,  and  none  hut 
ourselves  knew  what  subjects  we  discussed.  Had 
our  parents  heard  us,  they  would  have  considered 
us  on  the  high  road  to  ruin. 

“ ‘ Yet  we  had  been  taught  that  it  was  right  to 
dance ; our  parents  did  it,  our  friends  did,  and  we 
were  permitted.  I will  say  also  that  all  the  girls 
with  whom  I associated,  with  the  exception  of  one, 
had  much  the  same  experience  in  dancing ; felt  the 
same  strangely  sweet  emotions,  and  felt  that  almost 
imperative  necessity  for  a closer  communion  than 
that  which  even  the  freedom  of  a waltz  permits, 
without  knowing  exactly  why,  or  even  comprehend- 
ing what. 

“ ‘ Married  now,  with  home  and  children  around 
me,  I can  at  least  thank  God  for  the  experience 
which  will  assuredly  he  the  means  of  preventing  my 
little  daughters  from  indulging  in  any  such  danger- 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


201 


A Warning  to  Mothers.  Physical  Causes  of  Unchastity. 

ous  pleasure.  But,  if  a young  girl,  pure  and  inno- 
cent in  the  beginning,  can  be  brought  to  feel  what 
I have  confessed  to  have  felt,  what  must  be  the  ex- 
perience of  a married  woman  ? Site  knows  what 
every  glance  of  the  eye,  every  bend  of  the  head, 
every  close  clasp  means,  and  knowing  that,  recipro- 
cates it,  and  is  led  by  swifter  steps  and  a surer  path 
down  the  dangerous,  dishonorable  road. 

“‘I  doubt  if  my  experience  will  be  of  much  serv- 
ice, but  it  is  the  candid  truth,  from  a woman  who, 
in  the  cause  of  all  the  young  girls  who  may  be  con- 
taminated, desires  to  show  just  to  what  extent  a 
young  mind  may  be  defiled  by  the  injurious  effects 
of  round  dances.  I have  not  hesitated  to  lay  bare 
what  are  a young  girl’s  most  secret  thoughts,  in  the 
hope  that  people  will  stop  and  consider,  at  least, 
before  handing  their  lilies  of  purity  over  to  the 
arms  of  any  one  who  may  choose  to  blow  the  frosty 
breath  of  dishonor  on  their  petals.’  ” 

Much  more  might  be  added  on  this  important 
subject,  would  the  limits  of  this  work  allow ; but 
this  must  suffice.  We  beg  the  reader  to  consider 
carefully  and  prayerfully  the  facts  pi’esented  before 
deciding  that  dancing  is  so  harmless  as  many  per- 
sons suppose. 

Physical  Causes  of  Unchastity <, — Some  of  the 
physical  causes  of  impurity  in  women  have  been 
previously  referred  to,  since  it  is  through  physical 
injuries  that  unhealthful  clothing  exerts  its  influ- 
ence. Too  little  is  generally  known  of  the  intimate 


202  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Effects  of  Constipation.  Intestinal  'Wonns. 

connection  between  physical  and  mental  conditions. 
Doubtless,  many  vices  originate  in  physical  imper- 
fections. Indeed,  when  the  full  bearing  of  phys- 
ical influences  upon  the  mind  is  allowed,  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  avoid  pleading  extenuating  circumstances 
in  the  cases  of  the  greatest  share  of  transgressors  of 
both  moral  and  civil  laws.  This  principle  is  espe- 
cially applicable  to  sexual  relations. 

In  males,  one  of  the  most  general  physical  causes 
of  sexual  excitement  is  constipation.  The  vesicula 
seminalis,  in  which  the  seminal  fluid  is  stored,  is 
situated,  as  will  be  remembered,  at  the  base  of  the 
bladder.  It  thus  has  the  bladder  in  front,  and  the 
rectum  behind.  In  constipation,  the  rectum  becomes 
distended  v^h  feces,  efiiete  matter  which  should 
have  been  promptly  evacuated  instead  of  being  al- 
lowed to  accumulate.  This  hardened  mass  presses 
upon  the  parts  most  intimately  concerned  in  the 
sexual  act,  causing  excessive  local  excitement. 
When  this  condition  is  chronic,  as  in  habitual  con- 
stipation, the  unnatural  excitement  often  leads  to 
most  serious  results.  One  of  these  is  the  produc- 
tion of  a horrible  disease,  satyriasis,  the  nature  of 
which  has  been  previously  indicated. 

Constipation  in  females  has  the  same  tendenc}', 
though  the  dangers  are  not  quite  so  great.  The  ir- 
ritation is  sufficient,  however,  to  lead  to  excitement 
of  the  passions. 

Intestinal  worms  often  produce  the  same  result 
in  children. 


I 


OLD  AND  YOUNG.  203 

Irritation  of  the  Bladder.  Modern  Modes  of  Life. 

Local  uncleanliness  is  another  very  frequent 
cause  which  is  often  overlooked.  The  natural  local 
secretions  quickly  become  a source  of  great  irrita- 
tion if  not  .removed  by  daily  washing.  Certain 
anatomical  peculiarities  sometimes  exist  in  the  male 
which  greatly  aggravate  this  difficulty,  and  for 
which  circumcision,  or  an  equivalent  operation,  is 
the  remedy. 

Irritation  of  the  bladder,  producing  incontinence 
of  urine,  is  another  enemy  to  chastity.  It  should 
receive  prompt  attention  and  treatment.  In  chil- 
dren, this  irritability  is  indicated  by  wetting  of  the 
bed  at  night.  In  cases  of  this  kind,  allow  the  child 
little  drink  in  the  latter  portion  of  the  day.  See 
that  the  bladder  is  emptied  just  before  he  goes  to 
bed.  Wake  him  once  or  twice  during  the  night, 
and  have  him  urinate.  Use  all  possible  means  to 
remove  the  cause  of  irritation  by  giving  him  plenty 
of  out-of-door  exercise  and  a very  simple,  though 
nutritious,  diet.  Avoid  meat,  eggs,  and  condiments. 
Modern  Modes  of  Life. — Aside  from  all  of  the 
causes  already  enumerated,  there  are  many  other 
conditions  and  circumstances,  the  result  of  modem 
habits  of  living,  that  tend  directly  toward  the  ex- 
citement of  sensuality.  Superheated  rooms,  seden- 
tary employments,  the  development  of  the  mental 
and  nervous  organizations  at  the  expense  of  the 
muscular,  the  cramming  system  in  schools,  too  long 
confinement  of  school-children  in  a sitting  position, 
* the  allowance  of  too  great  freedom  between  the 


204 


PLAIN  FACTS 


Demoralizing  Influence  of  Balls.  Modern  Habits  of  Eating  and  Drinking. 

sexes  in  the  young,  the  demoralizing  influence  of 
most  varieties  of  public  amusement,  balls,  church 
fairs,  and  other  like  influences  too  numerous  to 
mention,  all  tend  in  the  one  direction,  that  of  ab- 
normal excitation  and  precocious  development  of 
the  sexual  functions. 

It  is  not  an  exaggeration  to  say  that  for  one  con- 
forming to  modern  modes  of  living,  eating,  sleeping, 
and  drinking,  absolute  chastity  is  next  to  an  abso- 
lute impossibility.  This  would  certainly  be  true 
without  a special  interposition  of  Providence ; but 
Providence  never  works  miracles  to  obviate  the  re- 
sults of  voluntary  sin. 


Continence. 


‘Z^ONTINENCE  differs  from  chastity  in  being 
entire  restraint  from  sexual  indulgence  under 
all  circumstances,  while  chastity  is  only  restraint 
from  unlawful  indulgence.  As  we  have  both  phys- 
ical and  mental  chastity,  so  continence  should  be 
both  mental  and  physical.  Many  of  the  observa- 
tions on  the  subject  of  “ Chastity  ” apply  with  equal 
force  to  continence.  The  causes  of  incontinence 
are  the  same  as  those  of  unchastity.  ,The  same  re- 
lation also  exists  between  mental  and  physical 
continence  as  between  mental  and  physical  chastity. 

The  subject  of  continence  evidently  has  a some- 
what wider  scope  than  that  of  chastity,  as  generally 
understood ; but  as  we  have  considered  the  latter 
subject  so  fully,  we  shall  devote  less  space  to  this, 
leaving  the  reader  to  make  the  application  of  such 
preceding  remarks  as  reason  may  suggest  to  him 
are  equally  appropriate  here. 

Without  stopping  to  consider  the  various  circum- 
stances under  which  absolute  continence  is  expedi- 
ent, or  desirable,  or  morally  required,  we  will  pro- 
ceed at  once  to  examine  the  question,  Is  continence 
harmful  ? 

Continence  not  Injurious. — It  has  been  claimed 
by  many,  even  by  physicians, — and  with  consider- 

205 


20G  PLAIN  FACT!  FOR 

Continence  not  Injurious.  Contrary  View  Based  on  Prejudice. 

able  show  of  reason, — that  absolute  continence,  after 
full  development  of  the  organs  of  reproduction, 
could  not  be  maintained  without  great  detriment 
to  health.  It  is  needless  to  enumerate  all  the  differ- 
ent arguments  employed  to  support  this  position, 
since  they  are,  with  a few  exceptions,  too  frivolous 
to  deserve  attention.  We  shall  content  ourselves 
chiefly  with  quotations  from  acknowledged  author- 
ities, by  which  we  shall  show  that  the  popular 
notions  upon  this  subject  are  wholly  erroneous. 
Their  general  acceptance  has  been  due,  without 
doubt,  to  the  strong  natural  bias  in  their  favor.  It 
is  an  easy  matter  to  believe  what  agrees  well  with 
one’s  predilections.  A bare  surmise,  on  the  side  of 
prejudice,  is  more  telling  than  the  most  powerful 
logic  on  the  other  side 

“ We  know  that  this  opinion  is  held  by  men  of 
the  world,  and  that  many  physicians  share  it.  This 
belief  appears  to  us  to  be  erroneous,  without  foun- 
dation, and  easily  refuted.”  * 

The  same  writer  claims  “ that  no  peculiar  disease 
nor  any  abridgment  of  the  duration  of  life  can  be 
ascribed  to  such  continence.”  He  proves  his  posi- 
tion by  appealing  to  statistics,  and  shows  the  fal- 
lacy of  arguments  in  support  of  the  contrary  rfew. 
He  further  says  ; — 

“ It  is  determined,  in  our  opinion,  that  the  com- 
merce of  the  sexes  has  no  necessities  that  cannot 
be  restrained  without  peril.” 

* Mayer. 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


207- 


Popular  Error.  Does  not  Produce  Impotence. 

“ A part  has  been  assigned  to  spermatic  plethora 
in  the  etiology  of  various  mental  affections.  Among 
others,  priapism  has  been  attributed  to  it.  In  our 
opinion,  this  malady  , originates  in  a disturbance  of 
the  cerebral  nerve  power ; but  it  is  due  much  less 
to  the  retention  of  sperm  than  to  its  exaggerated 
loss ; much  less  to  virtuous  abstinence  than  to  moral 
depravity.” 

There  has  evidently  been  a wide-spread  decep- 
tion upon  this  subject.  “ Health  does  not  abso- 
lutel}'’  require  that  there  should  ever  be  an  emission 
of  semen,  from  puberty  to  death,  though  the  indi- 
vidual live  a hundred  years ; and  the  frequency  of 
involuntary  nocturnal  emissions  is  an  indubitable 
proof  that  the  parts,  at  least,  are  suffering  under  a 
debility  and  morbid  irritability  utterly  incompatible 
with  the  general  welfare  of  the  system.” 

Does  not  Produce  Impotence. — It  has  been 
declared  that  strict  continence  would  result  in  im- 
potency.  The  falsity  of  this  argument  is  clearly 
shown  by  the  following  observations : — 

“ There  exists  no  greater  error  than  this,  nor  one 
more  opposed  to  physiological  truth.  In  the  first 
place,  I may  state  that  I have,  after  many  years’ 
experience,  never  seen  a single  instance  of  atrophy 
of  the  generative  organs  from  this  cause.  I have, 
it  is  true,  met  the  complaint,  but  in  what  class  of 
cases  does  it  occur  ? It  arises,  in  all  instances,  from 
the  exactly  opposite  cause,  abuse ; the  organs  be- 
come worn  out.  and  hence  arises  atrophy.  Phys- 


208  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Ko  Suffering  with  the  Chaste.  Difficulty  of  Continence. 

iologically  considered,  it  is  not  a fact  that  the 
power  of  secreting  semen  is  annihilated  in  well- 
formed  adults  leading  a healthy  life  and  yet  re- 
maining continent.  No  continent  man  need  be  de- 
terred by  this  apocryphal  fear  of  atrophy  of  the 
testes,  from  living  a chaste  life.  It  is  a device  of 
the  unchaste — a lame  excuse  for  their  own  inconti- 
nence, unfounded  on  any  physiological  law.”* 

The  truth  of  this  statement  has  been  amply  con- 
firmed by  experiments  upon  animals. 

The  complaint  is  made  by  those  whose  lives  have  j 

been  far  otherwise  than  continent,  that  abstinence  - 

occasions  sufiering,  from  which  indulgence  gives  re-  ^ 

lief.  The  same  writer  further  says  that  when  such 
a patient  consults  a medical  man,  “he  should  be 
told — and  the  result  would  soon  prove  the  correct- 
ness of  the  advice — that  attention  to  diet,  gymnastic 
exercise,  and  self-control,  will  most  effectually  re- 
lieve the  symptoms.” 

Difficulty  of  Continence. — Some  there  are  who 
urge  that  self-denial  is  difiicult ; that  the  natural 
promptings  are  imperious.  From  this  they  argue 
that  it  cannot  but  be  right  to  gratify  so  strong  a 
passion.  “ The  admitted  fact  that  continence,  even 
at  the  very  beginning  of  manhood,  is  frequenth’ 
productive  of  distress,  is  often  a struggle  hard  to 
be  borne — still  harder  to  be  completely  victorious 
in — is  not  to  be  at  all  regarded  as  an  argument 
that  it  is  an  evil.”  f 

* Acton.  t Ibid. 

OLD  AND  YOUNG.  209 

Helps  to  Continence.  The  Will. 

But  if  rigid  continence  is  maintained  from  the 
first,  the  struggle  with  the  passions  will  not  be 
nearly  so  severe  as  after  they  have  once  been  al- 
lowed to  gain  the  ascendency.  On  this  point,  the 
following  remarks  are  very  just : — 

“ At  the  outset,  the  sexual  necessities  are  not  so 
uncontrollable  as  is  generally  supposed,  and  they 
can  be  put  down  by  the  exercise  of  a little  energetic 
will.  There  is,  therefore,  as  it  appears  to  us,  as 
much  injustice  in  accusing  nature  of  disorders  which 
are  dependent  upon  the  genital  senses,  badly  di- 
rected, as  there  would  be  in  attributing  to  it  a 
sprain  or  a fracture  accidentally  produced.”  * 

Helps  to  Continence. — As  already  indicated, 
and  as  every  individual  wdth  strong  passions 
knows,  the  w^arfare  with  passion  is  a serious  one 
if  one  determines  to  lead  a continent  life.  He  needs 
the  help  of  every  aid  that  he  can  gain.  Some  of 
these  may  be  named  as  follows : — 

The  Will. — A firm  determination  must  be  formed 
to  lead  a life  of  purity ; to  quickly  quench  the  first 
suggestions  of  impurity ; to  harbor  no  unchaste 
desire ; to  purge  the  mind  of  carnal  thoughts ; in 
short,  to  cleave  fast  to  mental  continence.  Each 
triumph  over  vicious  thoughts  will  strengthen 
virtue  ; each  victorv  w^on  will  make  the  next  the 
easier.  So  strong  a habit  of  continence  may  be 
formed  that  this  alone  Avill  be  a bulwark  against 
vice. 

* Mayer. 

14 


210  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Condiments.  Exercise. 

Diet. — He  who  would  keep  in  subjection  his 
animal  nature  must  carefully  guard  the  portal  to 
his  stomach.  The  blood  is  made  of  what  is  eaten. 
Irritating  food  will  produce  irritating  blood.  Stim- 
ulating foods  or  drinks  will  surely  produce  a corre- 
sponding quality  of  blood.  Irritating,  stimulating 
blood  will  irritate  and  stimulate  the  nervous 
system,  and  especially  the  delicate  nerves  of  the 
reproductive  system,  as  previously  explained.  Only 
the  most  simple  and  wholesome  food  should  he 
eaten,  and  that  only  in  such  moderate  quantities  as 
are  required  to  replenish  the  tissues.  The  custom 
of  making  the  food  pungent  and  stimulating  with 
condiments  is  the  great,  almost  the  sole,  cause  of 
gluttony.  It  is  one  of  the  greatest  hindrances  to 
virtue.  Indeed,  it  may  with  truth  be  said  that 
the  devices  of  modern  cookery  are  most  powerful 
allies  of  unchastity  and  licentiousness.  This  sub- 
ject is  particularly  deserving  of  careful,  candid,  and 
studious  attention,  and  only  needs  such  investiga- 
tion to  demonstrate  its  soundness. 

Exercise. — Next  to  diet  as  an  aid  to  continence, 
perhaps  of  equal  importance  with  it,  is  exercise, 
both  physical  and  mental.  It  is  a trite  proverb, 
the  truth  of  which  every  one  acknowledges,  that 
“ Satan  finds  some  mischief  still  for  idle  hands  to 
do,”  and  it  is  equally  true  that  he  always  has  an 
evil  thought  in  readiness — speaking  figuratively — 
to  instill  into  an  unoccupied  mind.  A person  who 
desires  to  be  pure  and  continent  in  body  and  mind 


OLD  AND  rOUNO. 


211 


Testimony  of  Eminent  Physicians.  Exercise  and  Chastity. 

must  flee  idleness  as  he  would  the  devil  himself ; 
for  the  latter  is  always  ready  to  improve  upon  the 
advantages  afibrded  by  an  idle  moment,  an  hour 
given  to  reverie. 

We  have  the  strongest  testimony  from  the  most 
eminent  physicians  in  regard  to  the  efficacy  of  ex- 
ercise in  overcoming  abnormal  sexual  desires,  Mr. 
Acton  relates  the  following  statement  made  to  him 
by  a gentleman  who  has  become  distinguished  in 
his  profeffiion : — 

“‘You  i-may  be  surprised,  Mr.  Acton,’  said  he, 
‘ by  the  statement  I am  about  to  make  to  you,  that 
before  my  marriage  I lived  a perfectly  continent 
life.  During  my  university  career,  my  passions 
were  very  strong,  sometimes  ahnost  uncontrollable, 
but  I have  the  satisfaction  to  think  that  I mas- 
tered them ; it  was,  however,  by  great  efibrts.  I 
obliged  myself  to  take  violent  physical  exertion ; I 
was  the  best  oar  of  my  year,  and  when  I felt  par- 
ticularly strong  sexual  desire,  I sallied  out  to  take 
my  exercise.  I was  victorious  always,  and  I never 
committed  fornication.  You  see  in  what  vigorous 
health  I am  ; it  was  exercise  alone  that  saved  me.’” 

Says  Carpenter,  on  the  same  subject,  in  a text- 
book for  medical  students,  “ ‘ Try  the  eflect  of  close 
mental  application  to  some  of  those  ennobling  pur- 
suits to  which  your  profession  introduces  you,  in 
combination  with  vigorous  bodily  exercise,  before 
you  assert  that  the  appetite  is  unrestrainable,  and 
act  upon  that  assertion.’  ” 


212 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOP. 


Work  vs.  Unchastity.  Danger  of  Dozing. 

Walking,  riding,  rowing,  and  gymnastics  are 
among  the  best  modes  of  physical  exercise  for 
sedentary  persons  ; but  there  is  no  better  form  of 
exercise  than  working  in  the  garden.  The  culti- 
vation of  small  fruits,  flowers,  and  other  occupa- 
tions of  like  character,  really  excel  all  other  modes 
of  physical  exercise  for  one  who  can  engage  in 
them  with  real  pleasure.  Even  thohgh  distasteful 
at  first,  they  may  become  very  attractive  and  in- 
teresting if  there  is  an  honest,  persevering  desire 
to  make  them  so.  The  advantages  of  exercises  of 
this  kind  are  evident.  1.  They  are  useful  as  well 
as  healthful.  W^hile  they  call  into  action  a verv 
large  number  of  muscles  by  the  varied  movements 
required,  the  expenditure  of  vital  force  is  remuner- 
ated by  the  actual  value  of  the  products  of  the 
labor : so  that  no  force  is  wasted.  2.  The  tillasre 
of  the  soil  and  the  dressing  of  vines  and  plants 
bring  one  in  constant  contact  with  nature  in  a 
manner  that  is  elevating  and  refining,  or  at  least 
afibrds  the  most  favorable  opportunities  for  the 
cultivation  of  nobility  and  purity  of  mind,  and  ele- 
vated principles. 

Exercise  carried  to  such  excess  as  to  produce  ex- 
haustion is  always  injurious.  The  same  is  true  of 
mental  labor  as  of  physical  exercise.  Plenty  of 
sleep,  and  regular  habits  of  retiring  and  rising,  are 
important.  Dozing  is  bad  at  any  time  ; for  it  is  a 
condition  in  which  the  will  is  nearl}’  dormant, 
though  consciousness  still  lingers,  and  the  imagina- 


OLD  AND  TO  UNO.  21  -1 

Effects  of  Late  Study.  Bathing.  BeU^OH. 

tion  is  allowed  to  run  wild,  and  often  enough  it 
will  run  where  it  ought  not.  Late  study,  or  late 
hours  spent  in  any  manner,  is  a sure  means  of  pro- 
ducing general  nervous  irritability  and  sexual  ex- 
citement through  reflex  influence. 

Bathing. — A daily  bath  with  cool  or  tepid  water, 
followed  by  vigorous  rubbing  of  the  skin  with  a 
coarse  towel  and  then  with  the  dry  hand,  is  a most 
valuable  aid.  The  hour  of  first  rising  is  generally 
the  most  convenient  time.  How  to  take  different 
kinds  of  baths  is  explained  in  other  works  devoted 
to  the  subject.*  General  and  local  cleanliness  are 
indispensable  to  general  and  local  health. 

Religion. — After  availing  himself  of  all  other 
aids  to  continence,  if  he  wishes  to  maintain  purity 
of  mind  as  well  as  physical  chastity — and  one  can- 
not exist  long  without  the  other — the  individual 
must  seek  that  most  powerful  and  helpful  of  all 
aids,  divine  grace.  If,  in  the  conflict  with  his  ani- 
mal nature,  man  had  only  to  contend  with  the  de- 
grading influences  of  his  own  propensities,  the  battle 
would  be  a serious  one,  and  it  is  doubtful  whether 
human  nature  alone — at  least  in  any  but  rare 
cases, — would  be  able  to  gain  the  victory ; but,  in 
addition  to  his  own  inherent  tendencies  to  evil,  man 
is  assailed  at  every  point  by  unseen  agencies  that 
seek  to  drag  him  down  and  spoil  his  soul  with  lust. 
These  fiendish  influences  are  only  felt,  not  seen, 
from  which  some  argue  that  they  do  not  exist. 

*See  “Uses  of  Water”  and  “The  Household  Manual.*' 


314  PLAIN  FACTS  FOB 

The  Only  Way  of  Escape.  Necessity  of  Divine  Aid. 

Such  casuists  must  find  enormous  depths  for  human 
depravity.  But  who  has  not  felt  the  cruel  power 
of  these  unseen  foes  ? Against  them,  there  is  but 
one  safe,  successful  weapon,  “ the  blood  of  Christ 
which  cleanseth  from  all  sin.” 

The  struggling  soul,  beset  with  evil  thoughts, 
will  find  in  prayer  a salvation  which  all  his  force 
of  will,  and  dieting,  and  exercising,  will  not,  alone, 
insure  him.  Yet  prayer  alone  will  not  avail. 
Faith  and  works  must  always  be  associated.  All 
that  one  can  do  to  work  out  his  own  salvation,  he 
must  do ; then  he  can  safely  trust  in  God  to  do  the 
rest,  even  though  the  struggle  seems  almost  a use- 
less one ; for  when  the  soul  has  been  long  in  bond- 
age to  concupiscence,  the  mind  a hold  of  foul  and 
lustful  thoughts,  a panorama  of  unchaste  imagery, 
these  hateful  phantoms  will  even  intrude  them- 
selves upon  the  sanctity  of  prayer  and  make  their 
victim  mentally  unchaste  upon  his  knees.  But 
Christ  can  pity  even  such  ; and  even  these  degraded 
minds  may  yet  be  pure  if  with  the  psalmist  they 
continue  to  cry,  with  a true  purpose  and  unwaver- 
ing trust,  “ Create  in  me  a clean  heard,  0 God,  and 
renew  a right  spirit  within  me.”  “ Purge  me  with 
hyssop,  and  I .shall  be  clean ; wash  me,  and  I shall 
be  whiter  than  snow.” 

At  the  first  suggestion  of  an  evil  thought,  send 
up  a mental  prayer  to  Him  whose  ear  is  always 
open.  Praj^er  and  impurity  are  as  incompatible  as 
oil  and  water.  The  pure  thoughts  that  sincere 


OLD  AITD  YOUNG. 


215 


Influence  of  Prayer,  Necessity  for  Self-Help. 

jirayer  will  bring,  displace  the  evil  promptings  of 
excited  passion.  But  the  desire  for  aid  must  he 
sincere.  Prayer  will  be  of  no  avail  while  the  mind 
is  half  consenting  to  the  evil  thought.  The  evil 
must  be  loathed,  spurned,  detested. 

It  would  seem  almost  unnecessary  to  suggest 
the  impropriety  of  resorting  to  prayer  alone  when 
sexual  excitability  has  arisen  from  a culpable  neg- 
lect to  remove  the  physical  conditions  of  local  ex- 
citement by  the  means  already  mentioned.  Such 
physical  causes  must  be  well  looked  after,  or  every 
attempt  to  reform  will  be  fruitless.  God  requires 
of  every  individual  to  do  for  himself  all  that  he  is 
capable  of  doing;  to  employ  every  available  means 
for  alleviatinsr  his  sufFerino-s. 


Marital  Excesses. 


<3^ 

DTLT  seems  to  be  a generally  prevalent  opinion  that 
the  marriage  ceremony  removes  all  restraint 
from  the  exercise  of  the  sexual  functions.  Fevr 
seem  to  even  suspect  that  the  seventh  command- 
ment has  any  bearing  upon  sexual  conduct  within 
the  pale  of  matrimony.  Yet  if  we  may  believe  the 
confessions  and  statements  of  men  and  women, 
legalized  prostitution  is  a more  common  crime  than 
illicit  commerce  of  the  sexes.  So  common  is  the 
popular  error  upon  this  subject,  and  so  strongly 
fortified  by  prejudice  is  it,  that  it  is  absolutely 
dangerous  for  a writer  or  speaker  to  express  the 
truth,  if  he  knows  it  and  has  a disposition  to  do  so. 
Any  attempt  to  call  attention  to  true  principles  is 
mocked  at,  decried,  stigmatized,  and,  if  possible, 
extinguished.  The  author  is  vilified,  and  his  work 
is  denounced,  and  relegated  to  the  ragman.  Ex- 
tremist, fanatic,  ascetic,  are  the  mildest  terms  em- 
ployed concerning  him,  and  he  escapes  with  rare 
good  fortune  if  his  chastity  or  virility  is  not  assailed. 

We  are  not  going  to  run  any  such  risks,  and  so 
shall  not  attempt  to  enunciate  or  maintain  any 
theory.  We  shall  content  ourselves  with  plainly 
stating  established  physiological  facts  by  quotations 
from  standard  medical  authors,  leaving  each  reader 

216 


OLD  AND  rOTINQ.  £17 

Object  of  the  Keprodiicfive  Functions.  How  to  Study  Human  Functions. 

to  draw  conclusions  and  construct  a practical  for- 
mula for  himself. 

Object  of  the  Reproductive  Functions.— Man, 
in  whatever  condition  we  find  him,  is  more  or  less 
depraved.  This  is  true  as  well  of  the  most  culti- 
vated and  refined  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  the  great 
centers  of  civilization,  as  of  the  misshapen  denizens 
of  African  jungles,  or  the  scarcely  human  natives  of 
Australia  and  Terra  del  Fuego.  His  appetites,  his 
tastes,  his  habits,  even  his  bodily  functions  are  per- 
verted. Of  course,  there  are  degrees  of  depravity, 
and  varieties  of  perversion.  In  some  respects, 
savages  approach  more  nearly  to  the  natural  state 
than  civilized  man,  and  in  other  particulars,  the 
latter  moi’e  nearly  represents  man’s  natural  condi- 
tion ; hut  in  neither  barbarism  nor  civilization  do 
we  find  man  in  his  primitive  state. 

In  consequence  of  this  universal  departure  from 
his  original  normal  condition, — the  causes  of  which 
we  need  not  here  trace,  since  they  are  immaterial 
in  the  consideration  of  this  question, — when  we 
wish  to  ascertain  with  certainty  the  functions  of 
certain  organs  of  the  human  body,  we  are  obliged 
to  compare  them  with  the  corresponding  organs  of 
lower  animals,  and  study  the  functions  of  the  latter. 
It  is  by  this  method  of  investigation  that  most  of 
the  important  truths  of  physiology  have  been  de- 
veloped ; and  the  plan  is  universally  acknowledged 
to  he  a proper  and  logical  one. 

Then  if  we  wish  to  ascertain,  with  certainty,  the 


218  FLAIK  FACTS  FOR 

Reproduction  iQ  Lower  Animals.  Testimony  of  Physicians. 

true  function  of  the  reproductive  organs  in  man, 
we  must  pursue  the  course  above  indicated;  in 
other  words,  study  the  function  of  reproduction  in 
lower  animals.  We  say  lower  anirmls,  because 
man  is  really  an  animal,  a member  of  the  great 
animal  kingdom,  though  not  a beast — at  least  he 
should  not  be  a beast,  though  some  animals  in 
human  fonn  approach  very  closely  to  the  line  that 
separates  humanity  from  brutes.  We  are  brought, 
then,  for  a solution  of  this  problem,  to  a considera- 
tion of  the  question,  What  is  the  object  of  the  re- 
productive act  in  those  members  of  the  animal  king- 
dom just  below  man  in  the  scale  of  being?  Let 
science  tell  us,  for  zoologists  have  made  a careful 
study  of  this  subject  for  centuries. 

We  quote  the  following  paragraphs  from  one  of 
the  most  distinguished  and  reliable  of  modern  phys- 
iologists ; * the  facts  which  he  states  being  con- 
finned  by  all  other  physiologists : — 

“Every  living  being  has  a definite  term  of  life, 
through  which  it  passes  by  the  operation  of  an  in- 
variable law,  and  which,  at  some  regularly  ap- 
pointed time,  comes  to  an  end.  . . . But  while 

individual  organisms  are  thus  constantly  perishing 
and  disappearing  from  the  stage,  the  particular  kind, 
or  species,  remains  in  existence.  . . . This  pro- 

cess, by  which  new  organisms  make  their  appear- 
ance, to  take  the  place  of  those  which  are  destroyed, 
is  known  as  the  process  of  reprodioction  or  gen- 
eration. 

Dalton. 


OLD  AXD  YOUXQ,  210 

Laws  of  Geiieratiou.  Natural  Adaptations. 

“ The  ovaiies,  as  well  as  the  eggs  which  they  con- 
tain, undergo,  at  particular  seasons,  a periodical  de- 
velopment, or  increase  in  growth,  ...  At  the 
approach  of  the  generative  season,  in  all  the  lower 
animals,  a certain  number  of  the  eggs,  which  were 
previously  in  an  imperfect  and  inactive  condition, 
begin  to  increase  in  size  and  become  somewhat 
altered  in  structure.” 

“ In  most  fish  and  reptiles  as  well  as  in  birds, 
this  regular  process  of  maturation  and  discharge  of 
eggs  takes  place  but  once  in  a year.  In  different 
species  of  quadrupeds  it  may  take  place  annually, 
semi-annually,  bi-monthly,  or  even  monthly ; but 
in  every  instance  it  recurs  at  regular  intervals,  and 
exhibits  accordingly,  in  a marked  degree,  the  peri- 
odic character  which  we  have  seen  to  belong  to 
most  of  the  other  vital  phenomena.” 

“ In  most  of  the  lower  orders  of  animals  there  is 
a periodical  development  of  the  testicles  in  the  male, 
corresponding  in  time  with  tha,t  of  the  ovaries  in 
the  female.  As  the  ovaries  enlarge  and  the  eggs 
ripen  in  the  one  sex,  so  in  the  other  the  testicles 
increase  in  size,  as  the  season  of  repi’oduction  ap- 
proaches, and  become  turgid  with  spermatozoa. 
The  accessory  organs  of  generation,  at  the  same 
time,  share  the  unusual  activity  of  the  testicles,  and 
become  increased  in  vascularity  and  ready  to  per-, 
form  their  part  in  the  reproductive  function.” 

“ Each  of  the  two  sexes  is  then  at  the  same  time 
under  the  infiuence  of  a corresponding  excitement. 


220  FLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Lessons  of  Instinct.  Most  Fruitful  Period. 

The  Tinusual  development  of  the  genital  organs 
reacts  upon  the  entire  system,  and  produces  a state 
of  peculiar  activity  and  excitability,  known  as  the 
condition  of  ‘ erethism.’  ” 

“ It  is  a remarkable  fact,  in  this  connection,  that 
the  female  of  these  animals  will  allow  the  ap- 
proaches of  the  male  only  during  and  immediately 
after  the  cestral  period ; that  is,  just  when  the  egg 
is  recently  discharged,  and  ready  for  impregnation. 
At  other  times,  when  sexual  intercourse  would  be 
necessarily  fruitless,  the  instinct  of  the  animal  leads 
her  to  avoid  it ; and  the  concourse  of  the  sexes  is 
accordingly  made  to  correspond  in  time  with  the 
maturity  of  the  egg  and  its  aptitude  for  fecunda- 
tion.” 

“ The  egg,  immediately  upon  its  discharge  from 
the  ovary,  is  ready  for  impregmation.  If  sexual  in- 
tercourse happens  to  take  place  about  that  time, 
the  egg  and  the  spermatic  fluid  meet  in  some  part 
of  the  female  generative  passages,  and  fecundation 
is  accomplished.  . . If,  on  the  other  hand,  coitus 
,,  do  not  take  place,  the  egg  passes  down  to  the  uterus 
unimpregnated,  loses  its  vitality  after  a short  time, 
and  is  finally  carried  away  with  the  uterine 
secretions.” 

“ It  is  easily  understood,  therefore,  why  sexual 
intercourse  should  be  more  liable  to  be  followed  by 
pregnancy  when  it  occurs  about  the  menstrual 
epoch  than  at  other  times.  . . Before  its  dis- 

charge, the  egg  is  immatui’e,  and  unprepared  for 


OLD  AND  YOUNG.  221 

Law  of  Periodicity.  Summary  of  Principles. 

impregnation ; and  after  the  menstrual  period  has 
passed,  it  gradually  loses  its  freshness  and  vitality.” 

The  law  of  periodicity,  as  it  alfecl^  the  sexual 
activity  of  males  of  the  human  species,  is  indicated 
in  the  following  remarks  by  the  same  author : — 

“ The  same  correspondence  between  the  periods 
of  sexual  excitement  in  the  male  and  female,  is 
visible  in  many  of  the  animals  [higher  mammals], 
as  well  as  in  fish  and  reptiles.  This  is  the  case  in 
most  species  which  produce  young  but  once  a year, 
and  at  a fixed  period,  as  the  deer  and  the  wild  hog. 

In  other  species,  on  the  contrary,  such  as  the  dog, 
the  rabbit,  the  guinea-pig,  etc.,  where  several  broods 
of  young  are  produced  during  the  year,  or  where, 
as  in  the  human  subject,  the  generative  epochs  of 
the  female  recur  at  short  intervals,  so  that  the  par- 
ticular period  of  impregnation  is  comparatively  in- 
definite, the  generative  apparatus  of  the  male  is 
almost  always  in  a state  of  full  development ; and 
is  excited  to  action  at  particular  periods,  apparently 
by  some  influence  derived  from  the  condition  of 
the  female.” 

The  facts  presented  in  the  foregoing  quotations 
from  Dr.  Dalton  may  be  summarized  as  follows : — 

1.  The  sexual  function  is  for  the  purpose  of 
producing  new  individuals  to  take  the  place  of 
those  who  die,  and  thus  preserve  the  species  from 
becoming  extinct. 

2.  In  the  animal  kingdom  generally,  the  repro- 
ductive function  is  necessarily  a periodical  act,  de- 

i>22  FLAi:^  FACTS  FOR 

Analogies  in  the  Animal  Kingdom.  A Significant  Fact. 

pendent  upon  the  development  of  the  reproductive 
organs  of  both  the  male  and  the  female  at  stated 
periods. 

3.  In  those  exceptional  cases  in  which  the  or- 
gans of  the  male  are  in  a state  of  constant  devel- 
opment, sexual  congress  occurs,  in  lower  animals, 
only  at  those  periods  when  the  periodical  develop- 
ment occurs  in  the  female. 

4.  Fecundation  of  the  female  element  can  only 
take  place  about  the  time  of  periodical  develop- 
ment in  the  female. 

5.  The  desire  for  sexual  congress  naturally  exists 
in  the  female  only  at  or  immediately  after  the  time 
of  periodical  development. 

6.  The  constant  development  of  the  sexual  or- 
gans in  human  males  is  a condition  common  to  all 
animals  in  which  development  occurs  in  the  female 
at  short  intervals,  and  is  a provision  of  nature  to 
secure  a fruitful  union  when  the  female  is  in  read- 
iness, but  not  an  indication  for  constant  or  fre- 
quent use. 

7.  The  time  of  sexual  congress  is  always  deter- 
mined by  the  condition  and  desires  of  the  female. 

An  additional  fact,  as  stated  by  physiologists,  is 
that,  under  normal  conditions,  the  human  female 
experiences  sexual  desire  immediately  after  men- 
struation more  than  at  any  other  time.  It  has, 
indeed,  been  claimed  that  at  this  period  only  does 
she  experience  the  true  sexual  instinct  unless  it  is 
abnormally  excited  by  disease  or  otherwise. 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


223 


Important  CJonclusions.  Opinions  of  Learned  Authors. 

From  these  facts  the  following  conclusions  must 
evidently  be  drawn  : — 

1.  The  fact  that  in  all  animals  but  the  human 
species  the  act  can  be  performed  only  when  repro- 
duction is  possible,  proves  that  in  the  animal 
kingdom  in  general  the  sole  object  of  the  function 
is  reproduction.  Whether  man  is  an  exception, 
must  be  determined  from  other  considerations. 

2.  The  fact  that  the  males  of  other  animals  be- 
sides man  in  which  the  sexual  organs  are  in  a state 
of  constant  development  do  not  exercise  those 
organs  except  for  the  purpose  of  reproduction,  is 
proof  of  the.  position  that  the  constant  develop- 
ment in  man  is  not  a warrant  for  their  constant 
use. 

3.  The  general  law  that  the  reproductive  act  is 
performed  only  when  desired  by  the  female,  is  suf- 
ficient ground  for  supposing  that  such  should  be 
the  case  with  the  human  species  also. 

The  opinions  of  writers  of  note  are  given  in  the 
following  quotations ; — 

“ The  approach  of  the  sexes  is,  in  its  purest  con- 
dition, the  result  of  a natural  instinct,  the  end  of 
which  is  the  reproduction  of  the  species.  Still, 
however,  we  are  far  from  saying  that  this  ultimate 
result  is,  in  any  proportion  of  cases,  the  actual 
thought  in  the  minds  of  the  parties  engaged.” 

“ The  very  lively  solicitations  which  spring  from 
the  genital  sense,  have  no  other  end  than  to  insure 
the  perpetuity  of  the  race.”* 

■*Dr.  Gardner. 


224 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOP. 


Important  Hints.  Unperverted  Instinct  a Safe  Guide. 

“ ObservatioH  fully  confirms  the  views  of  induc- 
tive philosophy ; for  it  proves  to  us  that  coitus, 
exercised  otherwise  than  under  the  inspirations  of 
honest  instinct,  is  a cause  of  disease  in  both  sexes, 
and  of  danger  to  the  social  order.”  * 

“It  is  incredible  that  the  act  of  bringing  men 
into  life,  that  act  of  humanity,  without  contradic- 
tion of  the  most  importance,  should  be  the  one  of 
which  there  should  have  been  the  least  supposed 
necessity  for  regulation,  or  which  has  been  reg- 
ulated the  least  beneficially.”  t 

“ But  it  may  be  said  that  the  demands  of  nature 
are,  in  the  married  state,  not  only  legal,  but  should 
be  physically  right.  So  they  are,  when  our  phys- 
ical life  is  right ; but  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that 
few  live  in  a truly  physical  rectitude.”  | 

“ Among  cattle,  the  sexes  meet  by  common  in- 
stinct and  common  will;  it  is  reserved  for  the 
human  animal  to  treat  the  female  as  a mere  victim 
to  his  lust.”  § 

“ He  is  an  ill  husband  that  uses  his  ivife  as  a 
man  treats  a harlot,  having  no  other  end  but 
pleasure.  Concerning  which  our  best  rule  is,  that 
although  in  this,  as  in  eating  and  drinking-,  there 
is  an  appetite  to  be  satisfied,  which  cannot  be  done 
without  pleasing  that  desire,  yet  since  that  desire 
and  satisfaction  were  intended  by  nature  for  other 
ends,  they  should  never  be  separated  from  those 
ends.” 

* Mayer.  t Dunoyer.  t Gardner.  § Quarterly  Keview. 


OLD  AKD  TO  UNO. 


225 


Marriage  not  a License  for  Lust.  Results  of  Excesses. 

' “ It  is  a sad  truth  that  many  married  persons, 

thinking  that  the  flood-gates  of  liberty  are  set 
wide  open,  without  measures  or  restraints  (so  they 
sail  in  the  channel),  have  felt  the  final  rewards  of 
intemperance  and  lust  by  their  unlawful  using  of 
lawful  permissions.  Only  let  each  of  them  be  tem- 
perate, and  both  of  them  modest.”* 

Says  another  writer  very  emphatically,  “ It  is  a 
common  belief  that  a man  and  woman,  because  they 
are  legally  united  in  marriage,  are  privileged  to  the 
unbridled  exercises  of  amativeness.  This  is  wrong. 
Natui'e,  in  the  exercise  of  her  laws,  recognizes  no 
human  enactments,  and  is  as  prompt  to  punish  any 
infringement  of  her  laws  in  those  who  are  legally 
married,  as  in  those  out  of  the  bonds.  Excessive 
indulgence  between  the  married  produces  as  great 
and  lasting  evil  effects  as  in  the  sine^le  man  or 
woman,  and  is  nothino-  more  or  less  than  legalized 
prostitution.” 

Results  of  Excesses. — The  sad  results  of  ex- 
cessive indulgences  are  seen  on  every  hand.  Nu- 
merous ailments  attributed  to  overwork,  constitu- 
tional disease,  or  hereditary  predisposition,  know  no 
other  cause  and  need  no  other  explanation. 

Effects  tcpon  Husbands. — No  doubt  the  principal 
blame  in  this  matter  properly  falls  upon  the  hus- 
band ; but  it  cannot  be  said  that  he  is  the  greatest 
sufferer  ; however,  his  punishment  is  severe  enough 
to  clearly  indicate  the  enormity  of  the  transgres- 

* Jeremy  Taylor. 


15 


22G 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 


Effects  upon  Husbands.  Evils  Certainly  Follow. 

sion,  and  to  warn  him  to  a reformation  of  his  habits. 
The  following  is  a quotation  from  an  eminent  med- 
ical authority : — 

“ But  any  warning  against  sexual  dangers  would 
be  very  incomplete  if  it  did  not  extend  to  the  ex- 
cesses so  often  committed  by  mamed  persons  in 
ignorance  of  their  ill  effects.  Too  frequent  emis- 
sions of  the  life-giving  fluid,  and  too  frequent  ex- 
citement of  the  nervous  system  are,  as  we  have 
seen,  in  themselves  most  destructive.  The  result 
is  the  same  within  the  mandage  bond  as  without 
it.  The  married  man  who  thinks  that  because  he 
is  a married  man  he  can  commit  no  excess,  however 
often  the  act  of  sexual  congress  is  repeated,  will 
suffer  as  certainly  and  as  seriously  as  the  unmarried 
debauchee  who  acts  on  the  same  principle  in  his 
indulgences — perhaps  more  certainly  from  his  very 
ignoi'ance,  and  from  his  not  taking  those  precau- 
tions and  following  those  rules  which  a career  of 
vice  is  apt  to  teach  the  sensualist.  Many  a man 
has,  until  his  marriage,  lived  a most  continent  life ; 
so  has  his  wife.  As  soon  as  they  are  wedded,  in- 
tercourse is  indulged  in  night  after  night,  neither 
party  having  any  idea  that  these  repeated  sexual 
acts  are  excesses  which  the  system  of  neither  can 
bear,  and  which  to  the  man,  at  least,  are  absolute 
ruin.  The  practice  is  continued  till  health  is  im- 
paired, sometimes  permanently,  and  when  a patient 
is  at  last  obliged  to  seek  medical  advice,  he  is 
thunderstruck  at  learning  that  his  sufferings  arise 


0L3  AI^D  TOUA^G. 


227 


A Pernicious  Error.  Astonishing  Excesr'cs. 

from  excesses  unwittingly  committed.  Married 
people  often  appear  to  think  that  connection  may 
be  repeated  as  regularly  and  almost  as  often  as 
their  meals.  Till  they  are  told  of  the  danger,  the 
idea  never  enters  their  heads  that  they  are  guilty 
of  great  and  almost  criminal  excess  ; nor  is  this  to 
be  wondered  at,  since  the  possibility  of  such  a 
cause  of  disease  is  seldom  hinted  at  by  the  medical 
man  they  consult.” 

“ Some  go  so  far  as  to  believe  that  indulgence 
may  increase  these  powers,  just  as  gymnastic  exer- 
cises augment  the  force  of  the  muscles.  This  is  a 
popular  error;  and  requires  correction.  Such  pa- 
tients should  be  told  that  the  shock  on  the  system 
each  time  connection  is  indulged  in,  is  very  power- 
ful, and  that  the  expenditure  of  seminal  fluid  must 
be  particularly  injurious  to  organs  previously  de- 
bilitated. It  is  by  this  and  similar  excesses  that 
premature  old  age  and  complaints  of  the  generative 
organs  are  brought  on.” 

“ The  length  to  which  married  people  carry  ex- 
cesses is  perfectly  astonishing.” 

“ Since  my  attention  has  been  particularly  called 
to  this  class  of  ailments,  I feel  confident  that  many 
of  the  forms  of  indigestion,  general  ill  health,  hypo- 
chondriasis, etc.,  so  often  met  with  in  adults,  de- 
pend upon  sexual  excesses That  this 

cause  of  illness  is  not  more  generally  acknowledged 
and  acted  on,  arises  from  the  natural  delicacy  which 
medical  men  must  feel  in  putting  such  questions  to 


228 


PLAIX  FACTS  FOR 


Cause  of  III  Efifects.  Testimony  of  a French  Physician, 

tlieir  patients  as  are  necessary  to  elicit  the  facts.” 

“ It  is  not  the  body  alone  which  suffers  from  ex- 
cesses committed  in  married  life.  Experience  every 
day  convinces  me  that  much  of  the  languor  of  mind, 
confusion  of  ideas,  and  inability  to  control  the 
thoughts,  of  which  some  married  men  complain, 
arise  from  this  cause.”* 

The  debilitating  effects  of  excessive  sexual  in- 
dulgence arise  from  two  causes  ; viz.,  the  loss  of  the 
seminal  fluid,  and  the  nervous  excitement.  With 
reference  to  the  value  of  the  spermatic  fluid,  Dr. 
Gardner  remarks : — 

“ The  sperm  is  the  purest  extract  of  the  blood. 
. . . . Nature,  in  creating  it,  has  intended  it 

not  only  to  communicate  life,  but  also  to  nourish  the 
individual  life.  In  fact,  the  re-absorption  of  the 
fecundating  liquid  impresses  upon  the  entire  econ- 
omy new  energy,  and  a virility  which  contributes 
to  the  prolongation  of  life.” 

Testimony  of  a French  Physician. — A French 
author  of  considerable  note,t  remarks  on  the  same 
subject : — 

“ Nothing  costs  the  economy  so  much  as  the  pro- 
duction of  semen  and  its  forced  ejaculation.  It  has 
been  calculated  that  an  ounce  of  semen  was  equiv- 
alent to  forty  ounces  of  blood.  . . . Semen  is 

the  essence  of  the  whole  individual.  Hence,  Fernel 
has  said,  ‘ Totus  homo  semen  est.’  It  is  the  balm 


* Acton. 


t Paiise. 


1 


OLD  AXD  TO  UXO.  229 

Continence  of  Trainers.  A Cause  of  Throat  Disease. 

of  life.  ....  That  which  gives  life  is  in- 
tended for  its  preservation.” 

It  may  be  questioned,  perhaps,  whether  physi- 
ology will  sustain  to  the  fullest  extent  all  the  state- 
ments made  in  the  last  quotation;  but  perhaps 
physiology  does  not  appreciate  so  fully  as  does 
pathology  the  worth  of  the  most  vital  of  all  fluids, 
and  the  fearful  results  which  follow  ils  useless  ex- 
penditure. 

Continence  of  Trainers. — “ The  moderns  who 
are  training  are  well  aware  that  sexual  indulgence 
wholly  unfits  them  for  great  feats  of  strength,  and 
the  captain  of  a boat  strictly  forbids  his  crew  any- 
thing of  the  sort  just  previous  to  a match.  Some 
ti-ainers  have  gone  so  far  as  to  assure  me  that  they 
can  discover  by  a man’s  style  of  pulling  whether 
he  has  committed  such  a breach  of  discipline  over 
night,  and  have  not  scrupled  to  attribute  the  occa- 
sional loss  of  matches  to  this  cause.”  * 

A Cause  of  Throat  Disease.  — The  disease 
known  as  “ clergyman's  sore  throat  ” is  believed 
by  many  eminent  physicians  to  have  its  chief  or- 
igin in  excessive  venery.  It  is  well  known  that 
sexual  abuse  is  a very  potent  cause  of  throat  dis- 
eases. This  view  is  supported  by  the  following 
from  the  pen  of  the  learned  Dr.  X.  Bourgeois : — 

“We  ought  not,  then,  to  be  surprised  that  the 
physiological  act,  requiring  so  great  an  expenditure 


* Acton. 


230  PL  AIK  FACTS  FOR 

A Cause  of  Chronic  Diseases.  A Cause  of  Consumption. 

of  vitality,  must  be  injurious  in  the  highest  degree, 
when  it  is  reiterated  abusively.  To  engender  is  to 
give  a portion  of  one’s  life.  Does  not  he  who  is 
prodigal  of  himself  precipitate  his  own  ruin  ? A 
peculiar  character  of  the  diseases  which  have  their 
origin  in  venereal  excesses  and  masturbation  is 
ehronicity.” 

“ Individual  predispositions,  acquired  or  hered- 
itary, engender  for  each  a series  of  peculiar  ills. 
In  some,  the  debility  bears  upon  the  pulmonary 
organs.  Hence  results  the  dry  cough,  prolonged 
hoarseness,  stitch  in  the  side,  spitting  of  blood,  and 
finally  phthisis.  How  many  examples  are  there  of 
young  debauchees  who  have  been  devoured  by  this 

cruel  disease  ! It  is,  of  all  the  grave 

maladies,  the  one  which  venereal  abuses  provoke 
the  most  frequently.  Portal,  Bayle,  Louis,  ssly  this 
distinctly.” 

A Cause  of  Cousumption. — This  fatal  disease 
finds  a large  share  of  its  victims  among  those  ad- 
dicted to  sexual  excesses,  either  of  an  illicit  nature 
or  within  the  marriage  pale,  for  the  physical  effects 
are  essentially  identical.  This  cause  is  especially 
active  and  fatal  with  sedentary  persons,  but  is  suf- 
ficiently powerful,  to  undermine  the  constitution 
under  the  most  favorable  cix’cumstances,  as  the  fol- 
lowing case  illustrates  : — 

The  patient  was  a 3'oung  man  of  twenty-two, 
large,  muscular,  and  well  developed,  having  un- 
commonl}^  broad  shoulders  and  a full  chest.  His 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


231 


Effects  on  Wives.  Civilized  Women  Deteriorating. 

occupation  liad  been  healthful,  that  of  a laborer. 
Had  had  cough  for  several  months,  and  was  spit- 
ting blood.  Examination  of  lungs  showed  that 
they  were  hopelessly  diseased.  There  was  no  trace 
of  consumption  in  the  family,  and  the  only  cause 
to  which  the  disease  could  be  attributed  was  ex- 
cessive sexual  indulgence,  which  he  confessed  to 
have  practiced  for  several  years. 

Effects  on  Wives. — If  husbands  are  great  suf- 
ferers, as  we  have  seen,  wives  suffer  still  more 
terribly,  being  of  feebler  constitution,  and  hence 
less  able  to  bear  the  frequent  shock  which  is  suf- 
fered by  the  nervous  system.  Dr.  Gardner  places 
this  evil  prominent  among  the  causes  “ the  result 
of  which  we  see  deplored  in  the  public  press  of  the 
day,  which  warns  us  that  the  American  race  is  fast 
dying  out,  and  that  its  place  is  being  filled  by  em- 
igrants of  different  lineage,  religion,  political  ideas, 
and  education.” 

The  same  author  remarks  further  on  the  results 
of  this  with  other  causes  which  largely  grow  out 
of  it : — 

“ It  has  been  a matter  of  common  observation 
that  the  physical  status  of  the  women  of  Christen- 
dom has  been  gradually  deteriorating ; that  their 
mental  energies  were  uncertain  and  spasmodic ; 
that  they  were  prematurely  care-worn,  wrinkled, 
and  enervated  ; that  they  became  subject  to  a host 
of  diseases  scarcely  ever  known  to  the  professional 
men  of  past  times,  but  now  familiar  to,  and  the 


232  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

1 

The  Age  of  Womb  Disea£eti.  A Cause  of  Hysteila. 

common  talk  of,  the  matrons,  and  often,  indeed,  of 
the  youngest  females  in  the  community.” 

So  prevalent  are  these  maladies  that  Michelet 
says  with  truth  that  the  present  is  the  “age  of 
womb  diseases.” 

Every  physician  of  observation  and  experience 
has  met  many  cases  illustrative  of  the  serious  ef- 
. fects  of  the  evil  named.  Some  years  ago,  when 
acting  as  assistant  physician  in  a large  dispensary 
in  an  Eastern  city,  a young  woman  applied  for 
examination  and  treatment.  She  presented  a 
great  variety  of  nervous  symptoms,  prominent 
among  which  were  those  of  mild  hys^ria  and 
nervous  exhaustion,  together  with  impaired  diges- 
tion and  violent  palpitation  of  the  heart.  In  our 
inquiries  respecting  the  cause  of  these  dhEculties, 
we  learned  that  she  had  been  married  hut  about 
six  months.  A little  careful  questioning  elicited 
the  fact  that  sexual  indulgence  was  invariably 
practiced  every  night,  and  often  two  or  three 
times,  occasionally  as  many  as  four  times  a night. 

We  had  the  key  to  her  troubles  at  once,  and  or- 
dered entire  continence  for  a month.  From  her 
subsequent  reports  I learned  that  her  husband 
would  not  allow  her  to  comply  with  the  request, 
but  that  indulgence  was  much  less  frequent  than 
before.  The  result  was  not  all  that  could  be  de- 
sired, but  there  was  marked  improvement.  If  the 
husband  had  been  willing  to  “do  right,”  entire 
recovery  would  have  taken  place  with  rapidity. 

' 1 

L ..  --  _j 

23'^ 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 

The  Greatest  Cause  of  Uterine  Disease.  Legalized  Murder. 

Another  case  came  under  our  observation  in 
which  the  patient,  a man,  confessed  to  having  in- 
dulged every  night  for  twenty.years.  We  did  not 
wonder  that  at  forty  he  was  a complete  physical 
wreck. 

The  Greatest  Cause  of  Uterine  Bisease. — Dr. 
J.  R.  Black  remarks  as  follows  on  this  subject : — 

“ Medical  writers  agree  that  one  of  the  most 
common  causes  of  the  many  forms  of  derangement 
to  which  woman  is  subject  consists  in  excessive 
cohabitation.  The  diseases  known  as  menorrhagia, 
dysmenorrhoea,  leucorrhoea,  amenorrhoea,  abortions, 
prolapsus,  chronic  inflammations  and  ulcerations  of 
the  womb,  with  a yet  greater  variety  of  sympa- 
thetic nervous  disorders,  are  some  of  ’the  distress- 
ing forms  of  these  derangements.  The  popular 
way  of  accounting  for  many  of  these  ills  is  that 
they  come  from  colds  or  from  straining  lifts.  But 
if  colds  and  great  strain  upon  the  parts  in  question 
develop  such  diseases,  why  are  they  not  seen 
among  the  inferior  animals?  The  climatic  alter- 
nations they  endure,  the  severe  labor  some  of  them 
are  obliged  to  perform,  ought  to  cause  their  ruin ; 
or  else  in  popular  phrase,  ‘ make  them  catch  their 
deaths  from  cold.’  ” 

Legalized  Murder. — A medical  writer  of  con- 
siderable ability  presents  the  following  picture,  the 
counterpart  of  which  almost  any  one  can  recall  as 
having  occurred  within  the  circle  of  his  acquaint- 


234  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Abusive  “Marital  Rights.”  Reckless  Marriages. 

ance ; perhaps  numerous  cases  will  be  recalled  by 
one  who  has  been  especially  observing : — 

“ A man  of  great  vital  force  is  united  to  a 
woman  of  evenly-balanced  organization.  The  hus- 
band, in  the  exercise  of  what  he  is  pleased  to  term 
his  ' marital  rights,’  places  his  wife,  in  a short  time, 
on  the  nervous,  delicate,  sickly  list.  In  the  blind- 
ness and  ignorance  of  his  animal  nature,  he  re- 
quires prompt  obedience  to  his  desires ; and,  igno- 
rant of  the  law  of  right  in  this  direction,  thinking 
that  it  is  her  duty  to  accede  to  his  wishes,  though 
fulfilling  them  with  a sore  and  troubled  heart,  she 
allows  him  passively,  never  lovingly,  to  exercise 
daily  and  weekly,  month  in  and  month  out,  the 
low  and  beastly  of  his  nature,  and  eventually, 
slowly  but  surely,  to  kill  her.  And  this  man,  who 
has  as  surely  committed  murder  as  has  the  con- 
victed assassin,  lures  to  his  net  and  takes  unto  him 
another  wife,  to  repeat  the  same  programme  of 
legalized  prostitution  on  his  part,  and  sickness  and 
premature  death  on  her  part.” 

Prof.  Gerrish,  in  a little  work  from  which  we 
take  the  liberty  to  quote,  speaks  as  follows  on  this 
subject : — 

“ One  man  reckless  of  his  duty  to  the  commu- 
nity, marries  young,  with  means  and  prospects  in- 
adequate to  support  the  family  which  is  so  sure  to 
come  ere  long!  His  ostensible  excuse  is  love ; his 
real  reason  the  gratification  of  his  carnal  instincts. 
Another  man,  in  exactly  similar  circumstances,  but 


OLB  AND  . YO  UNO. 


235 


Marriage  witliout  Love.  Very  Little  Bifiference. 

too  conscientious  to  assume  responsibilities  which 
he  cannot  carry,  and  in  which  failure  must  com- 
promise the  comfort  and  tax  the  purses  of  people 
from  whom  he  has  no  right  to  extort  luxuries, 
forbears  to  marry ; but,  feeling  the  passions  of  his 
sex,  and  being  imbued  with  the  prevalent  errors 
on  such  matters,  resorts  for  relief  to  unlawful 
coition.  At  the  wedding  of  the  former,  pious 
friends  assemble  with  their  presents  and  congrat- 
ulations, and  bid  the  legalized  prostitution  God- 
speed. Love  shields  the  crime,  all  the  more  easily 
because  so  many  of  the  rejoicing  guests  have 
sinned  in  precisely  the  same  way.  The  other  man 
has  no  festival  gathering.  , . . Society  applauds 
the  first  and  frowns  on  the  second ; but,  to  my 
mind,  the  difference  between  them  is  not  markedly 
in  favor  of  the  former.” 

“We  hear  a good  deal  said  about  certain  crimes 
against  nature,  such  as  pederasty  and  sodomy,  and 
they  meet  with  the  indignant  condemnation  of  all 
right-minded  persons.  The  statutes  are  especially 
severe  on  offenders  of  this  class,  the  penalty  being 
imprisonment  between  one  and  ten  years,  whereas 
fornication  is  punished  by  imprisonment  for  not 
more  than  sixty  days  and  a fine  of  less  than  one 
hundred  dollars.  But  the  query  very  pertinently 
arises  just  here  as  to  whether  the  use  of  the  con- 
dom and  defertilizing  injections  is  not  equally  a 
crime  against  nature,  and  quite  as  worthy  of  our 
detestation  and  contempt.  And,  further,  when  we 


236  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Legalized  Crimes.  Accidental  Pregnancies. 

consider  the  brute  creation,  and  see  that  they, 
guided  by  instinct,  copulate  only  when  the  female 
is  in  proper  physiological  condition  and  yields  a 
willing  consent,  it  may  he  suggested  that  congress 
between  men  and  women  may,  in  certain  circiim- 
stanqfis,  he  a crime  against  nature,  and  one  far 
worse  in  its  results  than  any  other.  Is  it  probable 
that  a child  born  of  a connection  to  which  the 
woman  objects  will  possess  that  felicitous  orgard- 
zation  which  every  parent  should  earnestly  desire 
and  endeavor  to  bestow  on  his  offspring  ? Can 
the  unwelcome  fruit  of  a rape  be  considered,  what 
every  child  has  a right  to  be,  a pledge  of  affection  ? 
Poor  little  Pip,  in  ‘ Great  Expectations,’  spoke  as  the 
representative  of  a numerous  class  when  he  said, 
‘ I was  always  treated  as  if  I had  insisted  on  being 
born,  in  opposition  to  the  dictates  of  reason,  relig- 
ion and  morality,  and  against  the  dissuading  argu- 
ments of  my  best  friends.’  We  enjoin  the  young 
to  honor  father  and  mother,  never  thinking  how 
undesei’ving  of  respect  are  those  whose  children 
suffer  from  inherited  ills,  the  result  of  the  selfish- 
ness and  carelessness  of  their  parents  in  begetting 
them. 

“ These  accidental  pregnancies  are  the  great  im- 
mediate cause  of  the  enormously  common  crime  of 
abortion,  concerning  which  the  morals  of  the  peo- 
ple are  amazingly  blunted.  The  extent  of  the 
practice  may  be  roughly  estimated  by  the  number 
of  standing  advertisements  in  the  family  news- 


OL'I)  AND  TO  UNO.  237 

Indulgence  during  Menstruation.  Revolting  Facte. 

papers,  in  which  feticide  is  warranted  safe  and 
• secret.  It  is  not  the  poor  only  who  take  advan- 
tage of  such  nefarious  opportunities ; but  the  rich 
shamelessly  patronize  these  professional  and  cow- 
ardly murderers  of  defenseless  infancy.  Madame 
Restell,  who  recently  died  by  her  own  hand  in 
New  York,  left  a fortune  of  a million  dollars,  which 
she  had  accumulated  by  producing  abortions.” 

A husband  who  has  not  sunk  in  his  carnality  too 
far  below  the  brute  creation  will  certainly  pause  a 
moment,  in  the  face  of  such  terrible  facts,  before 
he  continues  his  sensual,  selfish,  murderous  course. 

Indulgence  during  Menstruation. — The  fol- 
lowing remarks  which  our  own  professional  expe- 
rience has  several  times  confirmed,  reveal  a still 
more  heinous  violation  of  nature’s  laws : — 

“ To  many  it  may  seem  that  it  is  unnecessary  to 
caution  against  contracting  relationships  at  the 
period  of  the  monthly  flow,  thinking  that  the  in- 
stinctive laws  of  cleanliness  and  delicacy  were 
sufficient  to  refrain  the  indulgence  of  the  appe- 
tites ; but  they  are  little  cognizant  of  the  true 
condition  of  things  in  this  world.  Often  have  I 
had  husbands  inform  me  that  they  had  not  missed 
having  sexual  relations  with  their  wives  once  or 
more  times  a day  for  several  years  ; and  scores  of 
women  with  delicate  frames  and  broken-down 
health  have  revealed  to  me  similar  facts,  and  I 
have  been  compelled  to  make  personal  appeals  to 
the  husbands.”  * 


* fTflrdnp.v. 


238 


PLAIN  PACTS  FOP 


A Cause  of  Venereal  IXisease. 


A Wise  Jewish  Law. 


The  following  is  an  important  testimony  by  an 
eminent  physician  * upon  the  same  point : — 

“Females  whose  health  is  in  a weak  state  ^ . 

. . become  liable,  in  transgressing  this  law,  to  an 

infectious  disorder,  which,  it  is  commonly  supposed, 
can  only  originate  or  prevail  among  disreputable  ! 
characters ; but  Dr.  Bumstead  and  a number  of 
other  eminent  authorities  believe  and  teach  that 
gonorrhoea  may  originate  among  women  entirely 
virtuous  in  the  ordinary  sense  of  the  term.  That 
excessive  venery  is  the  chief  cause  that  originates 
this  peculiar  form  of  inflammation,  has  long  been 
the  settled  opinion  of  medical  men.” 

It  seems  scarcely  possible  that  such  enormity 
could  be  committed  by  any  human  being,  at  least  i 

by  civilized  men,  and  in  the  face  of  the  injunctions  ; 

of  Moses  to  the  Jews,  to  say  nothing  of  the  evident 
indecency  of  the  act.  The  Jews  still  maintain 
their  integrity  to  the  observance  of  this  command 
of  their  ancient  lawgiver. 

“ Reason  and  experience  both  show  that  sexual  _ ; 
relations  at  the  menstrual  period  are  ver}^  danger- 
ous to  both  man  and  woman,  and  perhaps  also  for 
the  offspring,  should  there  chance  to  be  concep- 
tion.” t i 

The  woman  suffers  fi-om  the  congestion  and 
nervous  excitement  which  occur  at  the  most  in- 
opportune moment  possible.  Man  may  suffer 
physical  injury,  though  there  are  no  grounds  for  j 


*Dr.  J.  R-  Black. 


t Mayer. 


OLD  AND  TOTJNQ,  239 

Effects  upon  Offspring.  Cause  of  Sickly  Children* 

the  assertions  of  Pliny  that  the  menstrual  blood 
is  se  potent  for  evil  that  it  will,  by  a mere  touch, 
I'ust  iron,  render  a tree  sterile,  make  dogs  mad, 
etc.,  or  that  of  Paracelsus  that  “of  it  the  devil 
makes  spiders,  fleas,  caterpillars,  and  all  the  other 
insects  that  people  the  aii'.” 

Effects  upon  Olfspring. — That  those  guilty  of 
the  transgression  should  suffer,  seems  only  just ; 
but  that  an  innocent  being  who  had  no  part  in  the 
sin — no  voice  in  the  time  or  manner  of  its  advent 
into  the  world — that  such  a one  should  suffer 
equally,  if  not  more  bitterly,  with  the  transgress- 
ors themselves,  seems  anything  but  just.  But 
such  is  nature’s  inexorable  law,  that  the  iniquities 
of  the  parents  shall  be  visited  upon  the  children ; 
and  this  fact  should  be  a most  powerful  influence 
to  prevent  parental  transgression,  especially  in  this 
direction,  in  which  the  dire  consequences  fall  so 
heavily  and  so  immediately  upon  an  innocent  be- 
ing. 

Says  Acton,  “ The  ill  effects  of  marital  excesses 
are  not  conflned  to  offending  parties.  No  doubt 
can  exist  that  many  of  the  obscure  cases  of  sickly 
children,  born  of  apparently  healthy  parents,  arise 
from  this  cause ; and  this  is  borne  out  by  investi- 
gations amongst  animals.” 

Breeders  of  stock  who  wish  to  secure  sound  prog- 
eny will  not  allow  the  most  robust  stallion  to  as- 
sociate with  mares  as  many  times  during  the  whole 
season  as  some  of  these  salacious  human  males  per- 


240  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

A Lesson  from  Stock  Breeders.  Overburdened  Mothers. 

form  a similar  act  within  a month.  One  reason 
why  the  offspring  suffer  is  that  the  seminal  fluid 
deteriorates  very  rapidly  by  repeated  indulgence. 
The  spermatozoa  do  not  have  time  to  become  ma- 
turely developed.  Progeny  resulting  from  such 
immature  elements  will  possess  the  same  deficiency. 
Hence  the  hosts  of  deformed,  scrofulous,  weazen, 
and  idiotic  children  which  curse  the  race,  and  tes- 
tify to  the  sensuality  of  their  progenitors.  Another 
reason  is  the  physical  and  ner\"ous  exhaustion  which 
the  parents  bring  upon  themselves,  and  which 
totally  unfits  them  to  beget  sound,  healthy  offspring. 

The  effects  of  this  evil  may  often  be  traced  in  a 
large  family  of  children,  nearly  all  of  whom  show 
traces  of  the  excesses  of  their  parents.  It  com- 
monly happens,  too,  that  such  large  families  are  on 
the  hands  of  poor  men  who  cannot  earn  enough  to 
give  them  sufficient  food  and  comfortable  clothing, 
with  nothing  whatever  to  provide  for  their  educa- 
tion. The  overburdened  mother  has  her  strength 
totally  exhausted  by  the  excessive  demands  upon 
her  system  incident  to  child-bearing,  so  that  she  is 
unable  to  give  her  children  that  culture  and -train- 
ing which  all  children  need.  More  than  as  likely 
* as  not  she  feels  that  they  were  forced  upon  her, 
and  hence  she  cannot  hold  for  them  all  that  tender 
sympathy  and  affection  a mother  should  feel.  The 
little  ones  grow  up  ignorant  and  often  vicious  ; for 
want  of  home  care  drives  them  to  the  street.  Thus 
does  one  evil  create  another. 


OLD  AND  YOUNG.  241 

Criminal  Becruits.  Indulgence  during  Pregnancy. 

It  is  certainly  a question  which  deserves  some 
attention,  whether  it  is  not  a sin  for  parents  to 
bring  into  the  world  more  children  than  they  can 
properly  care  for.  If  they  can  rear  and  educate 
three  children  properly,  the  same  work  would  be 
only  half  done  for  six ; and  there  are  already  in 
the  world  a sufficiency  of  half-raised  people.  From 
this  class  of  society  the  ranks  of  thieves,  drunkards, 
beggars,  vagabonds,  and  prostitutes,  are  recruited. 
Why  should  it  be  considered  an  improper  or  im- 
moral thing  to  limit  the  number  of  children  accord- 
ing to  the  circumstances  of  the  parents  ? Ought  it 
not  to  be  considered  a crime  against  childhood  and 
against  the  race  to  do  otherwise  ? It  is  seriously 
maintained  by  a number  of  distinguished  persons 
that  man  “ is  in  duty  bound  to  limit  the  number  of 
his  children  as  well  as  the  sheep  on  his  farm ; the 
number  of  each  to  be  according  to  the  adequacy  of 
his  means  for  their  support.” 

Indulgence  during  Pregnancy. — Transgres- 
sions of  this  sort  are  followed  by  the  worst  results 
of  any  form  of  marital  excess.  The  mother  suffers 
doubly,  because  laden  with  the  burden  of  support- 
ing two  lives  instead  of  one.  But  the  results  upon 
the  child  are  especially  disastrous.  During  the  time 
when  it  is  receiving  its  stock  of  vitality,  while  its 
plastic  form  is  being  molded,  and  its  various  organs 
acquiring  that  integrity  of  structure  which  makes 
up  what  is  called  constitutional  vigor, — during  this 
most  critical  of  all  periods  in  the  life  of  the  new 

16 


242  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Effect  upon  the  Character.  Inherent  Tendency  to  Vice. 

being,  its  resources  are  exhausted  and  its  structure 
depraved — and  thus  constitutional  tendencies  to 
disease  produced — by  the  unnatural  demands  made 
upon  the  mother. 

Effect  upon  the  Character. — StUl  another  ter- 
rible consequence  results  from  this  practice  so  con- 
trary to  nature.  The  delicate  brain,  which  is  being- 
molded,  Avith  the  other  organs  of  the  body,  receives 
its  cast  largely  from  those  mental  and  nervous  sen- 
sations and  actions  of  the  mother  which  are  the 
most  intense.  One  of  the  most  certain  effects  of 
sexual  indulgence  at  this  time  is  to  develop  ab- 
normally the  sexual  instinct  in  the  child.  Here  is 
the  key  to  the  origin  of  much  of  the  sexual  precoc- 
ity and  depravity  which  curse  humanity.  Sensu- 
ality is  bom  in  the  souls  of  a large  share  of  the 
rising  generation.  What  wonder  that  prostitution 
flourishes  in  spite  of  Christianity  and  ci-vdl  law  ? 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  say  that  all  medical  tes- 
timony concurs  in  forbidding  indulgence  during 
gestation.  The  same  reasons  require  its  interdic- 
tion during  the  nursing  period.  The  fact  that 
fecundation  would  be  impossible  during  pregnancjq 
and  that  during  this  period  the  female,  normally, 
has  no  sexual  desire,  are  other  powerful  arguments 
in  favor  of  perfect  continence  at  this  time. 

We  quote  the  following  from  a work  on  health 
by  Dr.  J.  R.  Black : — 

“ Coition  during  pregnancy  is  one  of  the  ways  in 
which  the  predisposition  is  laid  for  that  terrible 


OLD  AND  YOUNG,  24^^ 

The  Laws  of  Heredity.  , Certainty  of  Transmissioru 

disease  in  children,  epilepsy.  The  unnatural  ex- 
citement of  the  nervous  system  in  the  mother  by 
such  a cause  cannot  operate  otherwise  than  by  in- 
flicting injury  upon  the  tender  germ  in  her  womb. 
This  germ,  it  must  he  remembered,  derives  every 
quality  it  possesses  from  the  parents,  as  well  as 
eveiy  particle  of  matter  of  which  it  is  composed. 
The  old  notion  of  anything  like  spontaneity  in  the 
development  of  the  qualities  of  a new  being  is  at 
variance  with  all  the  latest  facts  and  inductions 
concerning  reproduction.  And  so  is  that  of  a cre- 
ative fiat.  The  smallest  organic  cell,  as  well  as  the 
most  complicated  organism,  in  form  and  quality,  is 
wholly  dependent  upon  the  laws  of  derivation. 

“ These  laws  are  competent  to  explain,  however 
subtle  the  ultimate  process  may  he,  the  great  di- 
versities of  human  organization  and  character.  Im- 
pressions from  without,  the  emotions,  conduct,  and 
play  of  the  organic  processes  within,  are  never  alike 
from  day  to  day,  or  from  hour  to  hour ; and  it  is 
from  the  aggregate  of  these  in  the  parents,  hut 
especially  of  those  in  the  mother  immediately  be- 
fore and  after  conception,  that  the  quality  of  the 
oflfspring  is  determined.  Suppose,  then,  that  there 
is  every  now  and  then  an  unnatural,  excited,  and 
exhausted  state  of  the  nervous  system  produced  in 
the  mother  by  excessive  cohabitation,  is  it  any 
wonder  that  the  child’s  nervous  system,  which  de- 
rives its  qualities  from  those  of  its  parents-,  should 
take  its  peculiar  stamp  from  that  of  the  parent  in 
whom  it  lives,  moves,  and  has  its  being  ? 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 


244 

A Cause  of  Epilepsy.  A Selfish  Objection. 

“ In  the  adult,  epilepsy  is  frequently  developed 
by  excessive  veneiy ; and  the  child  bom  with  such 
a predisposition  will  be  exceedingly  liable  to  the 
disease  during  its  early  years  when  the  nervous 
system  is  notoriously  prone  to  deranged  action  from 
very  slight  disturbing  causes. 

“ The  infringement  of  this  law  regulating  inter- 
course during  pregnancy  also  reacts  injuriously 
upon  the  mental  capacity  of  the  child,  tending  to 
give  it  a stupid,  animalized  look ; and,  there  is  also 
good  reason  to  believe,  aids  in  developing  the  idiotic 
condition.” 

A Selfish  Objection. — The  married  man  will 
raise  the  plea  that  indulgence  is  to  him  a necessity. 
He  has  only  to  practice  the  principles  laid  down 
for  the  maintenance  of  continence  to  entirely  re- 
move any  such  necessity  should  there  be  the  slight- 
est semblance  of  a real  demand.  Again,  what  many 
mistake  for  an  indication  of  the  necessity  for  in- 
dulgence, to  relieve  an  accumulation  of  semen,  is  in 
fact,  to  state  the  exact  truth,  but  a call  of  nature 
for  a movement  of  the  bowels.  How  this  may 
occur,  has  already  been  explained,  as  being  due  to 
the  pressure  of  the  distended  rectum  upon  the  in- 
ternal organs  of  generation  situated  at  the  base  of 
the  bladder.  It  is  for  this  reason,  chiefly,  that  a 
good  share  of  sexual  excesses  occur  in  the  morning. 

But,  aside  from  all  other  considerations,  is  it  not 
the  most  supreme  selfishness  for  a man  to  consider 
only  himself  in  his  sexual  relations,  making  his 


OLD  AND  YOUNG.  94,5 

Brutes  and  Savages  More  Considerate.  A Wholesome  Lesson. 

wife  wholly  subservient  to  his  own  desires  ? As  a 
learned  professor  remarks,  in  speaking  of  woman, 
“ Who  has  a right  to  regard  her  as  a therapeutic 
agent  ? ” 

Brutes  and  Savages  More  Considerate. — It  is 
only  the  civilized,  Christianized  (?)  male  human 
being  who  complains  of  the  restraint  imposed  upon 
him  by  the  laws  of  nature.  The  untutored  bar- 
barian, even  some  of  the  lowest  of  those  who  wear 
the  human  form,  tbgether  with  nearly  all  of  the 
various  classes  of  lower  animals,  abstain  from  sexual 
indulgence  during  pregnancy.  The  natives  of  the 
Gold  Coast  and  many  other  African  tribes  regard  it 
as  a shameful  offense  to  cohabit  during  gestation. 
In  the  case  of  lower  animals,  even  when  the  male 
desires  indulgence,  the  female  resents  any  attempt 
of  the  sort  by  the  most  vigorous  resistance. 

Are  not  these  wholesome  lessons  for  that  portion 
of  the  human  race  which  professes  to  represent  the 
accumulated  wisdom,  intelligence,  and  refinement 
of  the  world  ? Those  who  need  reproof  on  this 
point  may  reflect  that  by  a continuance  of  the  evil 
practice  they  are  placing  themselves  on  a plane 
even  below  the  uncouth  negro  who  haunts  the 
jungles  of  Southern  Africa. 

We  quote  the  following  from  the  pen  of  a tal- 
ented professor  in  a well-known  medical  college : — 

“ I believe  we  cannot  too  strenuously  insist  upon 
this  point — that  sexual  intercourse  should  never  be 
undertaken  with  any  other  object  than  procreation. 


246  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

WLat  May  Be  Done?  Proper  Lin^itations. 

and  never  then  unless  the  conditions  are  favorable 
to  the  production  of  a new  being  who  will  be  likelj 
to  have  cause  to  thankfully  bless  his  parents  for 
the  gift  of  life.  If  this  rule  were  generally  ob- 
served, we  should  have  no  broken-nosed  Tristram 
Shandys  complaining  of  the  carelessness  of  their 

fathers  in  begetting  them.”  * 
c>  o 

What  May  Be  Done? — But  what  is  the  prac- 
tical conclusion  to  be  drawn  from  all  the  foregoing  ? 
What  should  people  do  ? what  vmy  they  do  ? Dr. 
Gardner  offers  the  following  remarks,  which  par- 
tially answer  the  questions : — 

“ We  have  shown  that  we  can 
out  prejudice  to  health  by  the  exercise  of  continence. 
Self-restraint,  the  ruling  of  the  passions,  is  a virtue^ 
and  is  within  the  power  of  all  well-regulated  minds. 
Nor  is  this  necessarily  perpetual  or  absolute.  The 
passions  may  be  restrained  within  proper  limita- 
tions. He  who  indulges  in  lascivious  thoughts 
may  stimulate  himself  to  frenzy ; but  if  his  mind 
were  under  proper  control,  he  would  find  other  em- 
ployment for  it,  and  his  body,  obedient  to  its  potent 
sway,  would  not  become  the  master  of  the  man.” 

What  are  the  “ proper  limitations,”  every  person 
must  decide  for  himself  in  view  of  the  facts  which 
have  been  presented.  If  he  find  that  the  animal 
in  his  nature  is  too  strong  to  allow  him  to  comply 
with  what  seems  to  be  the  requirements  of  natural 
law,  let  him  approximate  as  nearly  to  the  truth  as 

*Dr.  Gerrisb. 


* ^ 

RIGHT  ’ with- 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


247 


A Diversity  of  Opinion.  A Commendable  Compromise. 

possible.  “ Let  every  man  be  fully  persuaded  in  bis 
own  mind,”  and  act  accordingly,  not  forgetting  that 
this  is  a matter  with  serious  moral  bearings,  and, 
hence,  one  in  which  conscience  should  he  on  the 
alert.  It  is  of  no  use  to  reject  truth  because  it  is 
unpalatable.  There  can  be  nothing  worse  for  a man 
than  to  “ know  the  truth  and  do  it  not.” 

It  is  but  fair  to  say  that  there  is  a wide  diversity 
of  opinion  among  medical  men  on  this  subject.  A 
very  few  hold  that  the  sexual  act  should  never  be 
indulged  except  for  the  purpose  of  reproduction, 
and  then  only  at  periods  when  reproduction  will  be 
possible.  Others,  while  equally  opposed  to  the  ex- 
cesses, the  effects  of  which  have  been  described, 
limit  indulgence  to  the  number  of  months  in  the 
year. 

Read,  reflect,  weigh  well  the  matter,  then  fix 
upon  a plan  of  action,  and,  if  it  be  in  accor  dance 
with  the  dictates  of  better  judgment,  do  not  swerve 
from  it. 

If  the  suggestion  made  near  the  outset  of  these 
remarks,  in  comparing  the  reproductive  function 
in  man  and  animals — viz.,  that  the  seasons  of  sex- 
ual approach  should  be  governed  by  the  inclination 
of  the  female — were  conscientiously  followed,  it 
would  undoubtedly  do  away  with  at  least  three- 
fourths  of  the  excesses  which  have  been  under  con- 
sideration. Before  rejecting  the  hint  so  plainly 
offered  by  nature,  let  every  man  consider  for  a mo- 
ment whether  he  has  any  other  than  purely  selfish 
arguments  to  produce  against  it. 


248  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Early  Moderation.  Effects  of  Violence. 

Early  Moderation. — The  time  of  all  others 
when  moderation  is  most  imperatively  demanded, 
yet  least  likely  to  be  practiced,  is  at  the  beginning 
of  matrimonial  life.  Many  a woman  dates  the  be- 
ginning of  a life  of  suffering  from  the  first  night 
after  marriage  ; and  the  mental  suflTering  from  the 
disomstincf  and  even  horrible  recollections  of  that 
night,  the  events  of  which  were  scarred  upon  her 
mind  as  well  as  upon  her  body,  have  made  her 
equally  as  wretched  mentally  as  bodily. 

A learned  French  writer,  in  referring  to  this 
subject,  says,  “ The  husband  who  begins  with  his 
wife  by  a rape  is  a lost  man.  He  will  never  be 
loved.” 

We  quote  the  following  very  sensible  words  from 
Dr.  Napheys : — 

“ It  sometimes  happens  that  marriage  is  consum- 
mated with  difficulty.  To  overcome  this,  care, 
management,  and  forbearance  should  always  be 
employed,  and  anything  like  precipitation  and  vio- 
lence avoided.” 

Cases  have  come  under  our  care  of  young  wives 
who  have  required  months  of  careful  treatment  to 
repair  the  damage  inflicted  on  their  wedding  night. 
A medical  writer  has  reported  a case  in  which  he 
was  called  upon  to  testify  in  a suit  for  divorce, 
which  is  an  illustration  of  so  gross  a degree  of 
sensuality  that  the  perpetrator  certainly  deserved 
most  severe  punishment.  The  victim,  a beautiful 
and  accomplished  young  lady,  to  please  her  par- 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


249 


A Terrible  Case.  Sensible  Neighbors. 

ents,  was  married  to  a man  much  older  than  her- 
self, riches  being  the  chief  atti’action.  She  at  once 
began  to  pine,  and  in  a very  few  months  was  a 
complete  wreck.  Emaciated,  spiritless,  haggard, 
she  was  scarcely  a shadow  of  her  former  self.  The 
physician  who  was  called  in,  upon  making  a local 
examination,  found  those  delicate  organs  in  a state 
of  most  terrible  laceration  and  inflammation.  The 
bladder,  rectum,  and  other  adjacent  organs,  were 
highly  inflamed,  and  sensitive  in  the  highest  de- 
gree. Upon  inquiring  respecting  the  cause,  he 
found  that  from  the  initial  night  she  had  been  sub- 
jected to  the  most  excessive  demands  by  her  hus- 
band, “ day  and  night.”  The  tortures  she  had  un- 
dergone had  been  terrific ; and  her  mind  trembled 
upon  the  verge  of  insanity.  She  entered  suit  for 
divorce  on  the  charge  of  cruelty,  but  was  defeated, 
the  judge  ruling  that  the  law  has  no  jurisdiction 
in  matters  of  that  sort. 

In  another  somewhat  similar  case  which  came  to 
our  knowledge,  a young  wife  was  delivered  from 
the  lecherous  assaults  of  her  husband — for  they 
were  no  better — by  the  common  sense  of  her  neigh- 
bor friends,  who  gathered  in  force  and  insisted 
upon  their  discontinuance.  It  is  only  now  and 
then  that  cases  of  this  sort  come  to  the  surface. 
The  majority  of  them  are  hidden  deep  down  in  the 
heart  of  the  poor,  heart-broken  wife,  and  too  often 
they  are  hidden  along  with  the  victim  in  an  early 


"rave. 


Prevention  of  Conception  i 


ITS  EVILS  D^ISTGrERS. 


HE  evil  considered  in  tlie  preceding  section  is 


by  far  the  greatest  cause  of  those  which  will 
be  dwelt  upon  in  this.  Excesses  are  habitually 
practiced  through  ignorance  or  carelessness  of  their 
direct  results,  and  then  to  prevent  the  legitimate 
result  of  the  reproductive  act,  innumerable  devices 
are  employed  to  render  it  fruitless.  To  even  men- 
tion all  of  these  would  be  too  great  a breach  of 
propriety,  even  in  this  plain-spoken  work;  but 
accurate  description  is  unnecessary,  since  those 
who  need  this  warning  are  perfectly  familiar  with 
all  the  foul  accessories  of  evil  thus  employed.  We 
cannot  do  better  than  to  quote  from  the  writings 
of  several  of  the  most  eminent  authors  upon  this 
subject.  The  following  paragraphs  are  from  the 
distinguished  Mayer,  who  has  already  been  fre- 
quently quoted : — 

“ The  numerous  stratagems  invented  by  debauch 
to  annihilate  the  natural  consequences  of  coition, 
have  aU  the  same  end  in  view.” 

Conjugal  Onanism. — “The  soiling  of  the  con- 
jugal bed  by  the  shameful  maneuvers  to  which  we 
have  made  allusion,  is  mentioned  for  the  first  time 
in  Gen.  38  : 6,  and  following  verses  : ‘ And  it  came 
to  pass,  when  he  [OnanJ  went  in  unto  his  brother’s 


250 


OLD  AND  rOUNQ.  251 

Conjugal  Onanism.  Possible  Origin  of  Monsters. 

- - - — - * 

wife,  that  he  spilled  it  on  the  ground,  lest  that  he 
should  give  seed  to  his  brother.  And  the  thing 
which  he  did  displeased  the  Lord;  wherefore  he 
slew  him.’ 

“ Hence  the  name  of  conjugal  onanism. 

“ One  cannot  tell  to  what  gi’eat  extent  this  vice 
is  practiced,  except  by  observing  its  consequences, 
even  among  people  who  fear  to  commit  the  slight- 
est sin,  to  such  a degree  is  the  public  conscience 
perverted  upon  this  point.  Still,  many  husbands 
know  that  nature  often  succeeds  in  rendering  nuga- 
tory the  most  subtle  calculations,  and  reconquers 
the  I’ights  which  they  have  striven  to  frustrate. 
Ho  matter;  they  persevere,  none  the  less,  and  by 
the  force  of  habit  they  poison  the  most  blissful 
moments  of  life,  with  no  surety  of  averting  the 
result  that  they  fear.  So,  who  knows  if  the  in- 
fants, too  often  feeble  and  weazen,  are  not  the  fruit 
of  these  in  themselves  incomplete  procreations,  and 
disturbed  by  preoccupations  foreign  to  the  generic 
act  ? Is  it  not  reasonable  to  suppose  that  the  cre- 
ative power,  not  meeting  in  its  disturbed  functions 
the  conditions  necessary  for  the  elaboration  of  a 
normal  product,  the  conception  might  be  from  its 
origin  imperfect,  and  the  being  which  proceeded 
therefrom,  one  of  those  monsters  which  are  de- 
scribed in  treatises  on  teratology  ?” 

“ Let  us  see,  now,  what  are  the  consequences  to 
those  given  to  this  practice  of  conjugal  onanism. 

“ We  have  at  our  disposition  numerous  facts 


252  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Detestable  Practices.  Pollution  of  tbe  Marriage  Bed. 

which  rigorously  prove  the  disastrous  influence  of 
abnonnal  coitus  to  the  woman,  but  we  think  it 
useless  to  publish  them.  All  practitioners  have 
more  or  less  observed  them,  and  it  will  only  be 
necessary  for  them  to  call  upon  their  memories  to 
supply  what  our  silence  leaves.  ‘ However,  it  is 
not  difficult  to  conceive,’  says  Dr.  Francis  Devay, 
‘ the  degree  of  perturbation  that  a like  practice 
should  exert  upon  the  genital  system  of  woman  by 
provoking  desires  which  are  not  gratified.  A pro- 
found stimulation  is  felt  through  the  entire  appa- 
I’atus ; the  uterus,  fallopian  tubes,  and  ovaries 
enter  into  a state  of  orgasm,  a storm  which  is  not 
appeased  by  the  natural  crisis ; a nervous  super- 
excitation persists.  There  occurs,  then,  what 
would  take  place  if,  presenting  food  to  a famished 
man,  one  should  snatch  it  from  his  mouth  after 
having  thus  violently  excited  his  appetite.  The 
sensibilities  of  the  womb  and  the  entire  repro- 
ductive system  are  teased  for  no  purpose.  It  is 
to  this  cause,  too  often  repeated,  that  we  should 
attribute  the  multiple  neuroses,  those  strange  af- 
fections which  originate  in  the  genital  system  of 
woman.  Our  conviction  respecting  them  is  based 
upon  a great  number  of  observations.  Further- 
more, the  normal  relations  existing  between  the 
married  couple  undergo  unfortunate  changes ; this 
affection,  founded  upon  reciprocal  esteem,  is  little 
by  little  effaced  by  the  repetition  of  an  act  Avhich 
pollutes  the  marriage  bed ; from  thence  proceed 


OLD  AND  YOUNG.  , £53 

Domestic  Harmony  Destroyed.  A Cause  of  Cancer. 

certain  hard  feelings,  certain  deep  impressions 
which,  gradually  growing,  eventuate  in  the  scan- 
dalous ruptures  of  which  the  community  rarely 
know  the  real  motive,’ 

“ If  the  good  harmony  of  families  and  their  re- 
ciprocal relations  are  seriously  menaced  by  the 
invasion  of  these  detestable  practices,  the  health 
of  women,  as  we  have  already  intimated,  is  fear- 
fully injured.  A great  number  of  neuralgias  ap- 
pear to  us  to  have  no  other  cause.  Many  women 
that  we  have  interrogated  on  this  matter  have 
fortified  this  opinion.  But  that  which  to  us  has 
passed  to  the  condition  of  incontestable  proof,  is 
the  prevalence  of  uterine  troubles,  of  enervation 
among  the  married,  hysterical  symptoms  which  are 
met  with  in  the  conjugal  relation  as  often  as 
among  young  virgins,  arising  from  the  vicious 
habits  of  the  husbands  in  their  conjugal  inter- 
course. . . Still  more,  there  is  a graver  afiec- 

tion,  which  is  daily  increasing,  and  which,  if 
nothing  arrests  its  invasion,  will  soon  have  at- 
tained the  proportions  of  a scourge ; we  speak  of 
the  degeneration  of  the  womb.  We  do  not  hesi- 
tate to  place  in  the  foremost  rank,  among  the 
causes  of  this  redoubtable  disease,  the  refinements 
of  civilization,  and  especially  the  artifices  intro- 
duced in  our  day  in  the  generic  act.  When  there 
is  no  procreation,  although  the  procreative  faculties 
are  excited,  we  see  these  pseudo-morphoses  arise. 
Thus  it  is  noticed  that  polypi  and  schivrus  [cancer] 


254  FLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

A General  Calamity.  Danger  of  Preventives. 

of  the  womb  are  common  among  prostitutes.  And 
it  is  easy  to  account  for  the  manner  of  action  of 
this  pathogenetic  cause,  if  we  consider  how  prob- 
able it  is  that  the  ejaculation  and  contact  of 
the  sperm  with  the  uterine  neck,  constitutes,  for 
the  woman,  the  crisis  of  the  genital  function,  by 
appeasing  the  venereal  orgasm  and  calming  the 
voluptuous  emotions  under  the  action  of  which  the 
entire  economy  is  convulsed.” 

“ We  may,  we  trust,  he  pardoned  for  remarking 
upon  the  artifices  imagined  to  prevent  fecundation 
that  there  is  in  them  an  immense  danger,  of  incal- 
culable limits.  We  do  not  fear  to  be  contradicted 
or  taxed  with  exaggeration  in  elevating  them  into 
the  proportions  of  a true  calamity.” 

The  following  is  from  an  eminent  physician* 
who  for  many  years  devoted  his  whole  attention 
to  the  diseases  of  women  and  lectured  upon  the 
subject  in  a prominent  medical  college  : — 

“It  is  undeniable  that  all  the  methods  em- 
ployed to  prevent  pregnancy  are  physically  in- 
jurious. Some  of  these  have  been  characterized 
with  sufficient  explicitness,  and  the  injurj^  result- 
ing from  incomplete  coitus  to  both  parties  has 
been  made  evident  to  all  who  are  willing  to  be 
convinced.  It  should  require  but  a moment’s  con- 
sideration to  convince  any  one  of  the  harmfulness 
of  the  common  use  of  cold  ablutions  and  astringent 
infusions  and  various  medicated  washes.  Simple 

*Dr.  Gardner. 


OLD  AND  YOUN&. 


255 


Bad  Effects  of  Preventives.  Cobwebs  for  Protection. 

and  often  wonderfully  salutary  as  is  cold  water  to 
a diseased  limb,  festering  with  inflammation,  yet 
fev/  are  rash  enough  to  cover  a gouty  toe,  rheu- 
matic knee,  or  erysipelatous  head  with  cold  water. 
. . . Yet,  when  in  the  general  state  of  nervous 

and  physical  excitement  attendant  upon  coitus, 
when  the  organs  principally  engaged  in  this  act 
are  congested  and  turgid  with  blood,  do  you  think 
you  can  with  impunity  throw  a flood  of  cold  or 
even  lukewarm  water  far  into  the  vitals  in  a con- 
tinual stream  ? Often,  too,  women  add  strong- 
medicinal  agents,  intended  to  destroy  by  dissolution 
the  spermatic  germs,  ere  they  have  time  to  fulfill 
their  natural  destiny.  These  powerful  astringents 
suddenly  corrugate  and  close  the  glandular  struct- 
ure of  the  parts,  and  this  is  followed,  necessarily, 
by  a corresponding  reaction,  and  the  final  result  is 
debility  and  exhaustion,  signalized  by  leucorrhcea, 
prolapsus,  and  other  diseases. 

“ Finally,  of  th§  use  of  intermediate  tegumentary 
coverings,  made  of  thin  rubber  or  gold-beater’s 
skin,  and  so  often  relied  upon  as  absolute  prevent- 
ives, Madame  de  Stael  is  reputed  to  have  said, 
‘ They  are  cobwebs  for  protection,  and  bulwarks 
against  love.’  Their  employment  certainly  must 
produce  a feeling  of  shame  and  disgust  utterly 
destructive  of  the  true  delight  of  pure  hearts  and 
refined  sensibilities.  They  are  suggestive  of  licen- 
tiousness and  the  brothel,  and  their  employment 
degrades  to  bestiality  the  true  feelings  of  manhood 


256  PLAIN  FACTS  FOP 

A Feaiiul  Risk.  Moral  and  Ph.vsical  Degradation. 

and  the  holy  state  of  matrimony.  Neither  do  they 
give,  except  in  a very  limited  degree,  the  protection 
desired.  Furthermore,  they  produce  (as  alleged  by 
the  best  modern  French  writers,  who  are  more 
familiar  with  the  effect  of  their  use  than  we  are  in 
the  United  States)  certain  physical  lesions  from 
their  irritating  presence  as  foreign  bodies,  and.  also 
from  the  chemicals  employed  in  their  fabrica^tion, 
and  other  effects  inseparable  from  their  employ- 
ment, ofttimes  of  a really  serious  nature. 

“ I will  not  further  enlarge  upon  these  instru- 
mentalities. Sufficient  has  been  said  to  convince 
any  one  that  to  tiifle  with  the  gi’and  functions  of 
our  organism,  to  attempt  to  deceive  and  thwart 
nature  in  her  highly  ordained  prerogatives — no 
matter  how  simple  seem  to  be  the  means  employed 
— is  to  incur  a heavy  responsibility  and  run  a fear- 
ful risk.  It  matters  little  whether  a railroad  train 
is  thrown  from  the  track  by  a frozen  drop  of  rain 
or  a huge  bowlder  lying  in  the  way,  the  result  is 
the  same,  the  injuries  as  great.  Moral  degradation, 
physical  disability,  premature  exhaustion  and  de- 
crepitude are  the  result  of  these  physical  frauds, 
and  force  upon  our  conviction  the  adage,  which 
the  history  of  every  day  confii’ms,  that  ‘honesty  is 
the  best  policy.’  ” 

Within  the  last  ten  years  we  have  had  under 
treatment  many  hundred  cases  of  ladies  suffering 
from  ailments  of  a character  peculiar  to  the  sex ; 
and  in  becoming  acquainted  with  the  history  of  in- 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


257 


Sad  Cases.  A Palpable  Violation  of  Nature’s  Laws. 

dividual  cases  we  have,  in  many  instances,  found 
that  the  real  cause  of  the  disease  which  had  sapped 
the  vitality  and  undermined  the  constitution  slowly 
hut  surely  until  cheerful  health  and  freshness  had 
given  place  to  suffering,  debility,  and,  in  many 
cases,  most  deplorable  melancholy,  was  the  very 
crime  against  nature  mentioned  in  the  preceding 
paragraphs.  The  effects  of  these  sins  against  nature 
are  frequently  not  felt  for  years  after  the  cause  has 
been  at  work,  and  even  then  are  seldom  attributed 
to  the  true  cause.  In  some  instances  we  have 
known  persons  to  suffer  on  for  many  years  without 
having  once  suspected  that  the  cause  of  their  suffer- 
ings was  a palpable  violation  of  nature’s  laws. 
Uterine  diseases  thus  induced  are  among  the  most 
obstinate  of  diseases  of  this  class,  being  often  of 
long  standing,  and  hence  of  a very  serious  charac- 
ter. Dr.  Wm.  Goodell  of  Philadelphia  has  recently 
called  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  prevention  of 
conception  is  one  of  the  most  common  causes  of 
prolapsus  of  the  ovaries,  a very  common  and  pain- 
ful disease.  Not  infrequently,  too,  other  organs, 
particularly  the  bladder,  become  affected,  either 
through  sympathy  or  in  consequence  of  the  con- 
gested condition  of  the  contiguous  parts. 

A difficulty  which  we  liave  often  met  with  has 
been  the  inability  to  convince  those  who  have  been 
guilty  of  the  practices  referred  to,  of  the  enormity  of 
the  sin  against  both  soul  and  body.  In  spite  of  all 
17 


258  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

i 

Shaker  Views.  A ContraBt. 

warnings,  perhaps  supplemented  by  sufferings,  the 
practice  will  often  be  continued,  producing  in  tht 
end  the  most  lamentable  results.  Too  often  it  is 
the  case  that  this  reluctance  to  obey  the  dictates 
of  Nature’s  laws  is  the  result  of  the  unfeeling  and 
unreasonable  demands  of  a selfish  husband. 

Shaker  Views. — The  Shakers  do  not,  as  man> 
suppose,  believe  wholly  in  celibacy.  They  believe 
in  marriage  and  reproduction  regulated  by  the  nat- 
ural law.  They,  also,  "would  limit  population,  but 
not  by  interfering  with  nature ; rather,  by  follow- 
ing nature’s  indications  to  the  very  letter.  They 
believe  “that  no  animals  should  use  their  repro- 
ductive powers  and  organs  for  any  other  than  the 
simple  purpose  of  procreation.”  Recognizing  the 
fact  that  this  is  the  law  among  lower  "animals,  they 
insist  upon  applying  it  to  man.  Thus  they  find  no 
necessity  for  the  employment  of  those  abominable 
contrivances  so  common  among  those  who  disre- 
gard the  laws  of  nature.  Who  ^vill  not  respect  the 
purity  which  must  characterize  sexual  relations  so 
governed?  Such  a method  for  regulating  the 
number  of  offspring  is  in  immense  contrast  "with 
that  of  the  Oneida  Community,  which  opens  the 
door  to  the  unstinted  gratification  of  lust,  separates 
the  reproductive  act  entirely  from  its  original  pur- 
pose, and  makes  it  the  means  of  mere  selfish,  sen- 
sual, beastly — worse  than  brutish — gratification. 

Those  who  are  acquainted  with  the  history  of  i 

the  founder  of  this  community  are  obliged  to  look 

* Acton.  1 

OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


259 


A Gigantic  Brothel.  A Den  of  Licentiousness. 

upon  him  as  a scheming  sensualist  who  well  knows 
the  truth,  but  deliberately  chooses  a course  of  evil, 
and  beguiles  into  his  snares  others  as  sensual  as 

O 

himself.  The  abominations  practiced  among  the 
members  of  the  community  which  he  has  founded 
are  represented  by  those  who  have  had  an  inside 
view  of  its  workings  as  too  foul  to  mention.  It 
seems  almost  wonderful  that  Providence  does  not 
lay  upon  this  gigantic  brothel  his  hand  of  vengeance 
as  in  ancient  times  he  did  upon  Sodom,  which  could 
hardly  have  been  more  sunken  in  infamy  than  is 
this  den  of  licentiousness.  It  is,  indeed,  astonishing 
that  it  should  be  tolerated  in  the  midst  of  a coun- 
try which  professes  to  regard  virtue  and  respect 
the  marriage  institution.  We  are  glad  to  note  that 
popular  opinion  is  calling  loudly  for  the  eradica- 
tion of  this  foul  ulcer.  Only  a short  time  ago  a 
convention  of  more  than  fifty  ministei’s  met  at 
Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  for  the  express  purpose  of  consid- 
ering ways  and  means  for  the  removal  of  this  blot 
“by  legal  measures  or  otherwise.”  We  sincerely 
wish  them  success ; and  it  appears  to  us  that  the 
people  in  that  vicinity  would  be  justified  should 
they  rise  en  masse  and  purge  their  community  of 
an  evil  so  heinous,  in  case  no  civil  authority  can  be 
induced  to  do  the  work  of  expurgation.* 

* Just  as  this  edition  is  going  to  press  we  receive  the  gratifying 
information  that  the  younger  members  of  the  Community  have  be- 
come disgusted  with  their  sensual  life  and  announced  that  their 
former  vile  practices  will  be  discontinued.  Mr.  Noyes  with  a few 
followers  has  sought  refuge  in  Canada. — J.  k. 


2C0  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Moral  Bearings  of  the  Question.  Unconsidered  Murders. 

Moral  Bearings  of  the  Question. — Most  of  the 
considerations  presented  thus  far  have'  been  of  a 
physical  character,  though  occasional  references  to 
the  moral  aspect  of  the  question  have  been  made. 
In  a certain  sense — and  a true  one — the  question 
is  vrholly  a moral  one ; for  what  moral  right  have 
men  or  women  to  do  that  which  will  injure  the 
integrity  of  the  physical  organism  given  them, 
and  for  which  they  are  accountable  to  their  Cre- 
ator ? Surely  none ; for  the  man  who  destroys 
himself  by  degrees,  is  no  less  a murderer  than  he 
who  cuts  his  throat  or  puts  a bullet  through  his 
brain.  The  crime  is  the  same — being  the  shorten- 
ing of  human  life — whether  the  injury  is  done  to 
one’s  self  or  to  another.  In  this  matter,  there  are 
at  least  three  sufferers  ; the  husband,  the  wife,  and 
the  offspring,  though  in  most  cases,  doubtless,  the 
husband  is  the  one  to  whom  the  sin  almost  exclu- 
sively belongs. 

Unconsidered  Murders. — But  there  is  a more 
startling  phase  of  this  moral  question.  It  is  not 
impossible  to  show  that  actual  violence  is  done  to 
a human  life. 

It  has  been  previously  shown  that  in  the  two 
elements,  the  ovum  of  the  female,  and  the  sper- 
matozoon of  the  male,  are,  in  rudimentary  form, 
all  the  elements  which  aro  to  make  up  the  “ human 
form  divine.”  Alone,  neither  of  these  elements 
can  become  anything  more  than  it  already  is  ; but 
the  instant  that  the  two  elements  come  in  contact. 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


261 


Embryonic  Life.  Prevention  Peally  Murder. 

fecundation  takes  place,  and  the  individual  life 
begins.  From  that  moment  until  maturity  is 
reached,  jmars  subsequently,  the  whole  process  is 
only  one  of  development.  Nothing  absolutely 
new  is  added  at  any  subsequent  moment.  In 
view  of  these  facts,  it  is  evident  that  at  the  very 
instant  of  conception  the  embryonic  human  being 
possesses  all  the  right  to  life  it  ever  can  possess. 
It  is  just  as  much  an  individual,  a distinct  human 
being,  possessed  of  soul  and  body,  as  it  ever  is, 
though  in  a very  immature  form.  That  concep- 
tion may  take  place  during  the  reproductive  act 
cannot'  be  denied.  If,  then,  means  are  employed 
with  a view  to  prevent  conception  immediately 
after  the  accomplishment  of  the  act,  or  at  any 
subsequent  time,  if  successful,  it  would  be  by  de- 
stroying the  delicate  product  of  the  conception 
which  had  already  occurred,  and  which,  as  before 
observed,  is  as  truly  a distinct  individual  as  it  can 
ever  become — certainly  as  independent  as  at  any 
time  previous  to  birth. 

Is  it  immoral  to  take  human  life  ? Is  it  a sin  to 
kill  a child  ? Is  it  a crime  to  strangle  an  infant  at 
birth  ? Is  it  a murderous  act  to  destroy  a half- 
formed  human  being  in  its  mother’s  womb  ? Who 
will  dare  to  answer  “ No,”  to  one  of  these  ques- 
tions ? Then,  who  can  refuse  assent  to  the  plain 
truth  that  it  is  equally  a murder  to  deprive  of  life 
the  most  recent  product  of  the  generative  act  ? 

Who  can  number  the  myriads  of  murders  that 


262  PLAI2T  FACTS  FOR 

Tlie  Charge  Disputed.  Life  Begins  with  Conception. 

have  been  perpetrated  at  this  early  period  of  ex- 
istence ? Who  can  estimate  the  load  of  guilt  that 
weighs  upon  some  human  souls  ? and  who  knows 
how  many  brilliant  lights  have  been  thus  early 
extinguished  ? how  many  promising  human  plant- 
lets  thus  ruthlessly  destroyed  in  the  very  act  of 
germinating  ? It  is  to  be  hoped  that  in  the  final 
account  the  extenuating  infiuence  of  ignorance 
may  weigh  heavily  in  the  scale  of  justice  against 
the  damning  -^iestimony  of  these  “unconsidered 
murders.” 

The  Charge  Disputed. — It  will  be  urged  that 
these  early  destructions  are  not  murders.  Murder 
is  an  awful  word.  The  act  itself  is  a terrible  crime. 
No  wonder  that  its  personal  application  should  be 
studiously  avoided ; the  human  being  who  would 
not  shrink  from  such  a charge  would  be  unworthy 
of  the  name  of  human — a very  brute.  Neverthe- 
less, it  is  necessary  to  look  the  plain  facts  squarely 
in  the  face,  and  shrink  not  from  the  decision  of  an 
enlightened  conscience.  We  quote  the  following 
portions  of  an  extract  which  we  give  in  full  else- 
where ; it  is  from  the  same  distinguished  author- 
ity * whom  we  have  frequently  quoted : — 

“There  is,  in  fact,  no  moment  after  conception 
when  it  can  be  said  that  the  child  has  not  life,  and 
the  crime  of  destroying  human  life  is  as  heinous 
and  as  sure  before  the  pei’iod  of  ‘ qiiickening  ’ has 
been  attained,  as  afterward.  But  you  stiU  defend 
* Gardner. 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


263 


Serious  DiiBculties.  Servitude  of  Woman. 

your  horrible  deed  by  saying:  ‘Well,  if  there  be, 
as  you  say,  this  mere  animal  life,  equivalent  at  the 
most  to  simple  vitality,  there  is  no  mind,  no  soul 
destroyed,  and,  therefore,  there  is  no  crime  com- 
mitted.’ Just  so  surely  as  one  would  destroy  and 
root  out  of  existence  all  the  fowls  in  the  world  by 
destroying  all  the  eggs  in  existence,  so  certain  is  it 
that  you  do  by  your  act  destroy  the  animal  man 
in  the  egg  and  the  soul  which  animates  it.  . . . 

Murder  is  always  sinful,  and  murc'er  is  the  willful 
destruction  of  a human  being  at  any  period  of  its 
existence,  from  its  earliest  germinal  embryo  to  its 
final,  simple,  animal  existence  in  aged  decrepitude 
and  complete  mental  imbecility.” 

Difficulties. — Married  people  will  exclaim, 
“ What  shall  we  do  ? ” Delicate  mothers  who 
have  already  more  children  on  their  hands  than 
they  can  care  for,  whose  health  is  insufficient  to 
longer  endure  the  pains  and  burdens  of  pregnancy, 
but  whose  sensual  husbands  continue  to  demand 
indulgence,  will  echo  in  despairing  tones,  while 
acknowledging  the  truth,  “ What  shall  we  do  ? ” 
We  will  answer  the  question  for  the  latter  first. 

Mr.  Mill,  the  distinguished  English  logician,  in 
his  work  on  “ The  Subjection  of  Woman,”  thus  rep- 
resents the  erroneous  view  which  is  popularly  held 
of  the  sexual  relations  of  the  wife  to  the  husband : 
“ The  wife,  however  brutal  a tyrant  she  may  be 
chained  to — though  she  may  know  that  he  hates 
her,  though  it  may  be  his  daily  pleasure  to  torture 


264  PLAIN  PACTS  FOR 

Woman's  Kights  An  Important  Question  Considered. 

her,  and  though  she  may  feel  it  impossible  not  to 
loathe  him — he  can  claim  from  her  and  enforce  the 
lowest  degradation  of  a human  being,  that  of  being 
made  the  instrument  of  an  animal  function  con- 
trary to  her  inclinations.” 

Woman’s  Rights. — A woman  does  not,  upon 
the  performance  of  the  marriage  ceremony,  surren- 
der all  her  personal  rights.  The  law  recognizes  this 
fact  if  her  husband  beats  her,  or  in  any  way  injures 
her  by  physical  force,  or  even  by  neglect.  Why 
may  she  not  claim  protection  from  other  maltreat- 
ment as  well  ? or,  at  least,  why  may  she  not  refuse 
to  lend  herself  to  beastly  lust  ? She  remains  the 
proprietor  of  her  own  body,  though  married ; and 
who  is  so  lost  to  all  sense  of  justice,  equity,  and 
even  morality,  as  to  claim  that  she  is  under  any 
moral  obligation  to  allow  her  body  to  be  abused  ? 

Since  the  first  edition  of  this  work  was  published, 
we  have  many  times  been  appealed  to  by  suffering 
wives  in  the  most  pathetic  terms.  In  many  in- 
stances the  poor  wife  was  suffering  with  local  dis- 
ease of  a serious  character,  making  sexual  ap- 
proaches in  the  highest  degree  painful  as  well  as 
repugnant ; yet  notwithstanding  this,  the  demands 
of  the  husband  for  the  gratification  of  his  bestial 
passions  were,  in  many  instances,  in  no  degree  less- 
ened by  a knowledge  of  the  facts  in  the  case. 

In  cases  like  these  it  is  often  a very  delicate  and 
exceedingly  difficult  task  to  point  out  the  duty  of 
the  suffering  wife  and  mother.  The  duty  of  the 


OLD  AND  TOUNO. 


2C5 


What  To  Do.  A Compromise. 

husband  is  very  plain,  and  to  him  the  wise  physi- 
cian will  appeal  in  a manner  which  cannot  fail  to 
arouse  him  to  a sense  of  his  duty  if  there  is  yet 
left  unconsumed  by  the  fires  of  lust  even  a vestige 
of  genuine  manhood. 

Wliat  to  Bo. — Now^to  the  question  as  asked  by 
the  first  parties — married  people  who  together  seek 
for  a solution  of  the  difficulties  arising  from  an 
abandonment  of  all  protectives  against  fecundation. 
The  true  remedy,  and  the  natural  one,  is  doubtless 
to  be  found  in  the  suggestion  made  under  the  heads 
of  ■“  Continence  ” and  “ Marital  Excesses.”  By  a 
course  of  life  in  accordance  with  the  principles 
there  indicated,  all  of  these  evils  and  a thousand 
more  would  be  avoided.  There  would  be  less 
sensual  enjoyment,  but  more  elevated  joy.  There 
would  be  less  animal  love,  but  more  spiritual  com- 
munion ; less  grossness,  more  purity ; less  develop- 
ment of  the  animal,  and  a more  fruitful  soil  for  the 
culture  of  virtue,  holiness,  and  all  the  Christian 
graces. 

“ But  such  a life  would  be  impossible  this  side  of 
Heaven.”  A few  who  claim  to  have  tried  the  ex- 
periment think  not.  The-  Shakers  claim  to  prac- 
tice, as  well  as  teach,  such  principles ; and  with  the 
potent  aids  to  continence  previously  specified,  it 
might  be  found  less  difficult  in  realization  than  in 
thought. 

A Compromise. — There  will  be  many,  the  vast 
majority,  perhaps,  who  will  not  bring  their  minds 


266  PLAIN  FACTS  FOB 

Weakness  of  the  Fle^.  A Better  "Way,  Not  the  Beet  Way. 

to  accept  the  truth  which  nature  seems  to  teach, 
which  would  confine  sexual  acts  to  reproduction 
wholly.  Others,  acknowledging  the  truth,  declare 
“the  spirit  willing”  though  “the  flesh  is  weak.” 
Such  will  inquire,  “ Is  there  not  some  compromise 
by  means  ot  which  we  may  escape  the  greater  evils 
of  our  present  mode  of  life  ? ” Such  may  And  in 
the  following  facts  suggestions  for  a “ better  way,” 
if  not  the  best  way,  though  it  cannot  be  recom- 
mended as  wholly  free  from  dangers,  and  though 
it  cannot  be  said  of  it  that  it  is  not  an  unnatural 
way ; — 

“Menstruation  in  woman  indicates  an  aptitude 
for  impregnation,  and  this  condition  remains  for  a 
period  of  six  or  eight  days  after  the  entire  comple- 
tion of  the  flow.  During  this  time  only  can  most 
women  conceive.  Allow  twelve  days  for  the  onset 
of  the  menses  to  pass  by,  and  the  probabilities  of 
impregnation  are  very  slight.  This  act  of  conti- 
nence is  healthful,  moral,  and  irreproachable.”* 

It  should  be  added  to  the  above  that  the  plan 
suggested  is  not  absolutely  certain  to  secure  im- 
munity from  conception.  The  period  of  abstinence 
should  certainly  extend  from  the  beginning  of 
menstruation  to  the  fourteenth  day.  To  secure 
even  reasonable  safety,  it  is  necessaiy  to  practice 
further  abstinence  for  three  or  four  days  previous 
to  the  beginning  of  the  flow. 

Many  writers  make  another  suggestion  which 

* Gardner. 


OLD  AND  YOUNG.  267 

Valuable  Hints  to  the  Married.  A Valuable  Testimony. 

would  certainly  be  beneficial  to  individual  health ; 
viz.,  that  the  husband  and  wife  should  habitually 
occufiy  separate  beds.  Such  a practice  would  un-  ' 

doubtedly  serve  to  keep  the  sexual  instincts  in 
abeyance.  Separate  apartments,  or  at  least  the 
separation  of  the  beds  by  a curtain,  are  recom- 
mended by  some  estimable  physicians,  who  sug- 
gest that  such  a plan  would  enable  both  parties  to 
conduct  their  morning  ablutions  with  proper  thor- 
oughness and  without  sacrificing  that  natural  mod- 
esty which  operates  so  powerfully  as  a check  upon 
the  excessive  indulgence  of  the  passions.  Many 
will  think  the  suggestion  a good  one  and  will  make 
a practical  application  of  it.  Sleeping  in  single 
beds  is  reputed  to  be  a European  custom  of  long- 
standing among  the  higher  classes. 

This  subject  cannot  be  concluded  better  than  by 
the  following  quotations  from  an  excellent  and  able 
work  entitled,  “ The  Ten  Laws  of  Health  ” * : — 

“ The  obvious  design  of  the  sexual  desire  is  the 
reproduction  of  the  species.  . . , The  gratifica- 

tion of  this  passion,  or  indeed  of  any  other,  beyond 
its  legitimate  end,  is  an  undoubted  violation  of 
natural  law,  as  may  be  determined  by  the  light  of 
nature,  and  by  the  resulting  moral  and  physical 
evils.” 

“ Those  creatures  not  gifted  with  erring  reason, 
but  with  unerring  instinct,  and  that  have  not  the 
liberty  of  choice  between  good  and  evil,  cohabit 

♦J.  R.  Black,  M.  D. 

268  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Jlan’s  Reason  No  Excuse.  Necessity  for  Limitation. 

only  at  stated  periods,  when  pleasure  and  repro- 
duction are  alike  possible.  It  is  so  ordered  among 
them  that  the  means  and  the  end  are  never  sep- 
arated; and  as  it  was  the  all- wise  Being  who 
endowed  them  with  this  instinct,  without  the  re- 
sponsibility resulting  from  the  power  to  act  other- 
wise, it  follows  that  it  is  his  law,  and  must,  ^ 
therefore,  be  the  true  copy  for  all  beings  to  follow 
having  the  same  functions  to  perform,  and  for  the 
same  end.  The  mere  fact  that  men  and  women 
have  the  power  and  liberty  of  conforming  or  not 
conforming  to  this  copy  does  not  set  them  free 
from  obedience  to  a right  course,  nor  from  the 
consequences  of  disobedience.” 

“ The  end  of  sexual  pleasure  being  to  reproduce 
the  species,  it  follows,  from  the  considerations  just 
advanced,  that  -svhen  the  sexual  function . is  di- 
verted from  its  end,  reproduction,  or  if  the  means 
be  used  when  the  end  is  impossible,  harm  or  injury 
should  ensue.” 

“ Perhaps  the  number  is  not  small  of  those  who 
think  there  is  nothing  wrong  in  an  unlimited  in- 
dulgence of  the  sexual  propensity  during  married 
life.  The  marriage  vow  seems  to  be  taken  as 
equivalent  to  the  freest  license,  about  which  there 
need  be  no  restraint.  Yet,  if  there  is  any  truth  in 
the  law  in  reference  to  the  enjoyment  of  the  means 
only  when  the  end  is  possible,  the  necessity  of  the 
limitation  of  this  indulgence  during  married  life  is 
clearly  as  great  as  for  that  of  any  other  sensual 
pleasure. 


OLD  AND  YOUNG.  269 

Excesses  Forbidden  by  Natural  Law.  The  Ore^test  tSnfferers. 

“ A great  majority  of  those  constituting  the 
most  highly  civilized  communities,  act  upon  the 
belief  that  anything  not  forbidden  by  sacred  or 
civil  law  is  neither  sinful  nor  wrong.  They  have 
not  found  cohabitation  during  pregnancy  forbid- 
den ; nor  have  they  ever  had  their  attention 
drawn  to  the  injury  to  health  and  organic  devel- 
opment, which  such  a practice  inflicts.  Hence,  a 
habitual  yielding  to  inclination  in  this  matter  has 
determined  their  life-long  behavior. 

“ The  infringement  of  this  law  in  the  married 
state  does  not  ptoduce  in  the  husband  any  very 
serious  disorder.  Debility,  aches,  cramps,  and  a 
tendency  to  epiUptic  seizures,  are  sometimes  seen 
as  the  effects  of  great  excess.  An  evil  of  no  small 
account  is  the  steady  growth  of  the  sexual  passion 
by  habitual  unrestraint.  It  is  in  this  way  that 
what  is  known  as  libidinous  blood  is  nursed  as 
well  among  those  who  are  strictly  virtuous,  in  the 
ordinary  meaning  of  the  term,  as  among  those  who 
are  promiscuous  in  their  intercourse. 

“ The  wife  and  the  offspring  are  the  chief  suf- 
ferers by  the  violation  of  this  law  among  the 
married.  Why  this  is  so,  may  in  part  be  ac- 
counted for  by  the  following  consideration:  Among 
the  animal  kind  it  is  the  female  which  decides 
when  the  approaches  of  the  male  are  allowable. 
When  these  are  untimely,  her  instinctive  prompt- 
ing leads  her  to  resist  and  protect  herself  with 
ferocious  zeal.  No  one  at  all  acquainted  with  the 


270  * PLAIN  FACTS. 

The  LessoR  from  Lower  Animals.  Woman’s  Kesponsibility. 

remarkable  wisdom  nature  invariably  displays  in 
all  lier  operations,  will  doubt  that  the  prohibition 
of  all  sexual  intercourse  among  animals  during 
the  period  of  pregnancy  must  be  for  a wise  and 
good  purpose.  And,  if  it  serves  a wise  and  good 
purpose  with  them,  why  should  an  opposite  course 
not  serve  an* unwise  and  bad  purpose  with  us? 
Our  bodies  are  very  much  like  theirs  in  structure 
and  in  function ; and  in  the  mode  and  laws  that 
govern  reproduction  there  is  absolutely  no  differ- 
ence. The  mere  fact  that  we  possess  the  power  to 
act  otherwise  than  they  do  during  that  period, 
does  not  make  it  right. 

“ Human  beings  having  no  instinctive  prompting 
as  to  what  is  right  and  what  is  wrong,  cohabita- 
tion, like  many  other  points  of  the  behavior,  is  left 
for  reason  or  the  will  to  determine ; or,  rather,  as 
things  now  are,  to  unreason ; for  reason  is  neither 
consulted  nor  enlightened  as  to  what  is  proper  and 
allowable  in  the  matter.  Nature’s  rule,  by  in- 
stinct, makes  it  devolve  upon  the  female  to  de- 
termine when  the  approaches  of  the  male  are 
allowable. 

“ But  some  may  say  that  she  is  helpless  in  the 
matter.  No  one  dare  to  approach  her  without 
consent  before  marriage  ; and  why  should  man  not 
be  educated  up  to  the  point  of  doing  the  same 
after  marriage  ? She  is  neither  his  slave,  nor  his 
property ; nor  does  the  tie  of  marriage  bind  her  to 
carry  out  any  unnatural  requirement.” 


Infanticide  and  Abortion, 


[^EW  but  medical  men  are  aware  of  tlie  enor- 


mous proportions  which  have  been  assumed 


by  these  terrible  crimes  during  the  present  century. 
That  they  are  increasing  with  fearful  rapidity  and 
have  really  reached  such  a magnitude  as  to  seriously 
affect  the  growth  of  civilized  nations,  and  to  threaten 
their  very  existence,  has  become  a patent  fact  to 
observing  physicians.  The  crime  itself  differs  little, 
in  reality,  from  that  considered  in  the  last  section, 
the  prevention  of  conception.  It  is,  in  fact,  th-^ 
same  crime  postponed  till  a later  period. 

We  quote  the  following  eloquent  words  on  thi-s 
subject : — 

“ Of  all  the  sins,  physical  and  moral  against  man 
and  God,  I know  of  none  so  utterly  to  be  con 
demned  as  the  very  common  one  of  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  child  while  yet  in  the  womb  of  the 
mother.  So  utterly  repugnant  is  it  that  I can 
scarcely  express  the  loathing  with  which  I ap- 
proach the  subject.  Murder  ! — murder  in  cold 
blood,  without  cause,  of  an  unknown  child ; one’s 
nearest  relative  ; in  fact,  part  of  one’s  very  being ; 
actually  having,  not  only  one’s  own  blood  in  its 
being,  but  that  blood  momentarily  interchanging ! 
Good  God ! Does  it  seem  possible  that  such  de- 


271 


272  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

A Terrible  Crime,  Not  a Modem  Crime. 

pravity  can  exist  in  a parent’s  breast — in  a moth- 
er’s heart ! 

“ ’Tis  for  no  wrong  that  it  has  committed  that 
its  sweet  life  is  so  cruelly  taken  away.  Its  coming 
is  no  disgrace ; its  creation  was  not  in  sin,  but — 
its  mother  ‘don’t  want  to  be  bothered  with  any 
more  brats ; can  hardly  take  care  of  what  she  has 
got ; is  going  to  Europe  in  the  spring.’ 

“We  can  foi’give  the  poor  deluded  girl — seduced, 
betrayed,  abafndoned — who,  in  her  wild  fren2y,  de- 
stroys the  mute  evidence  of  her  guilt.  We  have 
only  sympathy  and  sorrow  for  her.  But  for  the 
married  shirk  who  disregards  her  divinely-ordained 
duty,  we  have  nothing  but  contempt,  even  if  she 
be  the  lordly  woman  of  fashion,  clothed  in  purple 
and  fine  linen.  If  glittering  gems  adorn  her  person, 
within  there  is  foulness  and  squalor.”  * 

Not  a Modern  Crime. — Although  this  crime 
has  attained  remarkable  proportions  in  modern 
times,  it  is  not  a new  one  by  any  means,  as  the  fol- 
lowing paragraph  will  suffice  to  show : — 

“ Infanticide  and  exposure  were  also  the  custom 
among  the  Romans,  Medes,  Canaanites,  Babjdon- 
ians,  and  other  Eastern  nations,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  Israelites  and  Egyptians.  The  Scan- 
dinavians killed  their  offspring  from  pure  fantasy. 
The  Norwegians,  after  having  carefully  swaddled 
their  children,  put  some  food  into  their  mouths, 
placed  them  under  the  roots  of  trees  or  under  the 

* Gardner. 


OLD  AKD  TO  UNO. 


270 

Infanticide  among  Various  Nations.  How  the  Ancients  Keasoned. 

rocks  to  preserv^e  them  from  ferocious  beasts.  In- 
fanticide was  also  permitted  among  the  Chinese, 
and  we  saw,  during  the  last  century,  vehicles  going 
round  the  streets  of  Pekin  daily  to  collect  the  bodies 
of  the  dead  infants.  To-day  there  exist  foundling 
hospitals  to  receive  children  abandoned  by  their 
parents.  The  same  custom  is  also  observed  in 
Japan,  in  the  isles  of  the  Southern  Ocean,  at 
Otaheite,  and  among  several  savage  nations  of 
North  America.  It  is  related  of  the  daggers  of 
Guinea,  that  they  devour  their  own  children,”  * 

The  Greeks  practiced  infanticide  systematically, 
their  laws  at  one  time  requiring  the  destruction  of 
crippled  or  weakly  children.  Among  all  the  vari- 
oiTS  nations,  the  general  object  of  the  crime  seems 
to  have  been  to  avoid  the  trouble  of  rearing  the 
children,  or  to  avoid  a surplus,  objects  not  far  dif- 
ferent from  those  had  in  view  by  those  who  prac- 
tice the  same  crimes  at  the  present  time. 

The  destruction  of  the  child  after  the  mother  has 
felt  its  movements  is  termed  infanticide ; before 
that  time  it  is  commonly  known  as  abortion.  It  is 
a modern  notion  that  the  child  possesses  no  soul  or 
individual  life  until  the  period  of  quickening,  an 
error  which  we  have  already  sufficiently  exposed. 
The  ancients,  with  just  as  much  reason,  contended 
that  no  distinct  life  was  present  until  after  birth. 
Hence  it  was  that  they  could  practice  without 
scruple  the  crime  of  infanticide  to  prevent  too  great 


18 


* Burdach. 


1 


274  PLAIN  PACTS  FOR 

The  Crime  Excused  by  Plato.  Abortion  Most  Common. 

increase  of  population.  “ Plato  and  Aristotle  were 
advocates  of  this  practice,  and  these  Stoics  justified 
this  monstrous  practice  by  alleging  that  the  child 
only  acquired  a soul  at  the  moment  when  it  ceased 
to  have  uterine  life  and  commenced  to  respire. 
From  hence  it  resulted  that,  the  child  not  being 
animated,  its  destruction  was  no  murder.” 

The  prevalence  of  this  crime  will  be  indicated  by 
the  following  observations  from  the  most  reliable 
sources : — 

“We  know  that  in  certain  countries  abortion  is 
practiced  in  a marmer  almost  public,  without  speak- 
ing of  the  East,  where  it  has,  so  to  speak,  entered 
into  the  manners  of  the  country.  We  see  it  in 
America,  in  a great  city  like  New  York,  constitut- 
ing a regular  business  and  not  prevented,  where  it 
has  enriched  more  than  one  midwife.” 

“ England  does  not  yield  to  Germany  or  France 
in  the  frequency  of  the  crime  of  infanticide.”* 

“Any  statistics  attainable  are  very  incomplete. 
False  certificates  are  daily  given  by  attending  phy- 
sicians. Men,  if  they  are  only  rich  enough,  die  of 
‘ congestion  of  the  brain,’  not  ‘ delirium  tremens  ; ’ 
and  women,  similai-ly  situated,  do  not  die  from  the 
effects  of  abortion,  but  of  ‘inflammation  of  the 
bowels,’  etc.” 

“ Infanticide,  as  it  is  generally  considered  (de- 
stroying a child  after  quickening),  is  of  very  rare 
occurrence  in  New  York,  whereas  abortions  (de- 
*Jardien. 


OLD  A>ND  YOUNG. 


275 


Alfirming  Frequency  of  the  Crime.  The  Moloch  of  Fashion. 

stroying  the  embryo  before  quickening)  are  of  daily 
habit  in  the  families  of  the  best  informed  and 
most  religious ; among  those  abounding  in  wealth, 
as  well  as  among  the  poor  and  needy.”  * 

“ Perhaps  only  medical  men  will  credit  the  asser- 
tion that  the  frequency  of  this  form  of  destroying 
hnman  life  exceeds  all  others  by  at  least  fifty  per 
cent,  and  that  not  more  than  one  in  a thousand  of 
the  guilty  parties  receive  any  punishment  by  the 
hand  of  civil  law.  But  there  is  a surer  mode  of 
punishment  for  the  guilty  mother  in  the  self- 
executing laws  of  nature.”  f 

“ From  a very  large  verbal  and  written  corre- 
spondence in  this  and  other  States,  I am  satisfied 
that  we  have  become  a nation  of  murderers.”  % 
Said  a distinguished  clergyman  of  Brooklyn  in 
a sermon,  “ Why  send  missionaries  to  India  when 
child-murder  is  here  of  daily,  almost  hourly,  occur- 
rence ; aye,  when  the  hand  that  puts  money  into 
the  contribution-box  to-day,  yesterday  or  a month 
ago,  or  to-morrow,  will  murder  her  own  unborn 
offspring  ? » 

"The  Hindoo  mother,  when  she  abandons  her 
babe  upon  the  sacred  Ganges,  is,  contrary  to  her 
heart,  obeying  a supposed  religious  law,  and  you 
desire  to  convert  her  to  your  own  worship  of  the 
Moloch  of  Fashion  and  Laziness  and  love  of  Greed. 
Out  upon  such  hypocrisy ! ” 

Writers  tell  us  that  it  has  even  become  the  boast 


* Gardner. 


t Black. 


X Beamy. 


276 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 


Pernicious  Knowledge.  CauecS  of  the  Crime. 

of  many  women  that  they  “know  too  much  to 
have  babies.” 

Says  the  learned  Dr.  Storer,  “Will  the  time 
come,  think  ye,  when  husbands  can  no  longer,  as 
they  now  frequently  do,  commit  the  crime  of  rape 
upon  their  unwilling  wives,  and  persuade  them  or 
compel  them  to  allow  a still  more  dreadful  violence 
to  be  wreaked  upon  the  children  nestling  within 
them — children  fully  alive  from  the  very  moment 
of  conception,  that  have  already  been  fully  de- 
tached from  all  organic  connection  with  their  par- 
ent, and  only  re-attached  to  her  for  the  pui’poses  of 
nutriment  and  growth,  and  to  destroy  whom  ' is  a 
crime  of  the  same  nature,  both  against  our  Maker 
and  society,  as  to  destroy  an  infant,  a child,  or  a 
man  ? * 

Says  another  well-known  author,  “ Ladies  boast 
to  each  other  of  the  impunity  with  which  they 
have  aborted,  as  they  do  of  their  expenditures,  of 
their  dress,  of  their  success  in  society.  There  is  a 
fashion  in  this,  as  in  all  other  female  customs,  good 
and  bad.  The  wretch  whose  account  with  the  Al- 
mighty is  heaviest  with  guilt  too  often  becomes  a 
heroine.”  f 

Causes  of  the  Crime. — Many  influences  may 
combine  to  cause  the  mother  ruthlessly  to  destroy 
her  helpless  child : as,  to  conceal  the  results  of  sin ; 
to  avoid  the  burdens  of  maternity ; to  secure  ease 
and  freedom  to  travel,  etc.,  or  even  from  a false 

*“Is  It  I?”  t A Woman’s  Thoughts  about  Women. 


OLD  AND  YOUNG.  277 

Men  Mo&t  to  Blame.  The  Nature  of  the  Crime. 

idea  that  maternity  is  vulgar ; but  it  is  true,  be- 
yond all  question,  that  the  primary  cause  of  the 
sin  is  far  back  of  all  these  influences.  The  most 
unstinted  and  scathing  invectives  are  used  in  char- 
acterizing the  criminality  of  a mother  who  takes 
the  life  of  her  unborn  babe ; but  a word  is  seldom 
said  of  the  one  who  forced  upon  her  the  circum- 
stances which  gave  the  unfortunate  one  existence. 
Though  doctors,  ministers,  and  moralists  have  said 
much  on  this  subject,  and  written  more,  it  is  rea- 
sonable to  suppose  that  they  will  never  accomplish 
much  of  anything  in  the  direction  of  reform  until 
they  recognize  the  part  the  man  acts  in  all  of  these 
sad  cases,  and  begin  to  demand  reform  where  it  is 
most  needed,  and  where  its  achievement  will  effect 
the  most  good.  As  was  observed  in  the  remarks 
upon  the  subject  of  “ Prevention  of  Conception,” 
this  evil  has  its  origin  in  “ marital  excesses,”  and 
in  a disregard  of  the  natural  law  which  makes 
the  female  the  sole  proprietor  of  her  own  body, 
and  gives  to  her  the  right  to  refuse  the  approaches 
of  the  male  when  unprepared  to  receive  them 
without  doing  violence  to  the  laws  of  her  being. 

The  Nature  of  the  Crime. — “The  married  and 
well-to-do,  who  by  means  of  medicines  and  opera- 
tions produce  abortions  at  early  periods  of  preg- 
nancy, have  no  excuse  except  the  pretense  that 
they  do  not  consider  it  murder  until  the  child 
quickens. 

“No,  not  murder,  you  say,  for  ‘there  has  not 


278  FLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

When  Does  Life  Begin?  When  is  Destruction  Sinful? 

been  any  life  in  the  child.’  Do  not  attempt  to 
evade,  even  to  man,  a crime  which  cannot  be 
hidden  from  the  All-seeing.  The  poor  mother  has 
not  herself  felt  the  life  of  the  child  perhaps,  but 
that  is  a quibble  only  of  the  laws  of  man,  founded 
indeed  upon  the  view,  now  universally  recognized 
as  incorrect,  that  the  child’s  life  began  when  its 
movements  were  first  strong  enough  to  be  per- 
ceptible. There  is,  in  fact,  no  moment  after  con- 
ception when  it  can  be  said  that  the  child  has  not 
life,  and  the  crime  of  destroying  human  life  is  as 
heinous  and  as  sure  before  the  period  of  ‘ quicken- 
ing’ has  been  attained  as  afterward.  But  you 
still  defend  your  horrible  deed  by  saying,  ‘Well, 
if  there  be,  as  you  say,  this  mere  animal  life,  equiv- 
alent at  the  most  to  simple  vitality,  there  is  no 
mind,  no  soul  destroyed,  and  therefore,  there  is  no 
crime  committed.’  Just  so  surely  as  one  would 
destroy  and  root  out  of  existence  all  the  fowl  in 
the  world  by  destroying  all  the  eggs  in  existence, 
so  certain  is  it  that  you  do  by  your  act  destroy  the 
animal  man  in  the  egg,  and  the  soul  which  ani- 
mates it.  When  is  the  period  that  intelligence 
comes  to  the  infant  ? Are  its  feeble  first  strag- 
glings any  evidence  of  its  presence  ? Has  it  any 
appreciable  quantity  at  birth  ? Has  it  any  valu- 
able, useful  quantity  even  when  a year  old  ? 
When,  then,  is  it,  that  destruction  is  harmless  or 
comparatively  sinless  ? While  awaiting  your  met- 
aphysical answer,  I will  tell  you  when  it  is  sinful. 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


279 


Murder  Defined,  Iiistruni'enta  of  Crime. 

Murder  is  always  sinful,  and  murder  is  the  willful 
destruction  of  a human  being  at  any  period  of  its 
existence,  from  its  earliest  germinal  embryo  to  its 
final,  simple,  animal  existence  in  aged  decrepitude 
and  complete  mental  imbecility.”  * 

“ There  are  those  who  would  fain  make  light  of 
this  crime  by  attempting  to  convince  themselves 
and  others  that  a child,  while  in  embryo,  has  only 
a sort  of  vegetative  life,  not  yet  endowed  with 
thought,  and  the  ability  to  maintain  an  independ- 
ent existence.  If  such  a monstrous  philosophy  as 
this  presents  any  justification  for  such  an  act,  then 
the  killing  of  a newly-born  infant,  or  of  an  idiot, 
may  be  likewise  justified.  The  destruction  of  the 
life  of  an  unboin  human  being,  for  the  reason  that 
it  is  small,  feeble,  and  innocently  helpless,  rather 
aggravates  than  palliates  the  crime.  Every  act  of 
this  kind,  with  its  justification,  is  obviously  akin 
to  that  savage  philosophy  which  accounts  it  a 
matter  of  no  moment,  or  rather  a duty,  to  de- 
stroy feeble  infants,  or  old,  helpless  fathers  and 
mothers.”  f 

Instruments  of  Crime. — “ The  means  through 
which  abortions  are  efiected  are  various.  Some- 
times it  is  through  potent  drugs,  extensively  ad- 
vertised in  newspapers  claiming  to  be  moral ! — the 
advertisements  so  adroitly  worded  as  to  convey 
under  a caution  the  precise  information  required 
of  the  liability  of  the  drug  to  produce  miscarriages. 


* Gardner. 


t Black. 


280 


FLAIK  FACTS  FOB 


A Nefarious  Trade. 


Besults  of  this  Unnatural  Cri^ne, 


Sometimes  the  iaformation  is  conveyed  through 
secret  circulars ; hut  more  commonly  the  deed  is 
consummated  by  professed  abortionists,  who  ad- 
vertise themselves  as  such  through  innuendo,  or 
through  gaining  this  kind  of  repute  by  the  fre- 
quent commission  of  the  act.  Not  a few  women, 
deterred  by  lingering  modesty  or  some  sense  . ; 
shame,  attempt  and  execute  it  upon  themij^  ’ 
and  then  volunteer  to  instruct  and  encom^^^ 
others  to  go  and  do  likewise.”  * 

Eesults  of  this  Unnatural  Crime. — It  is  the 
universal  testimony  of  physicians  that  the  effects  of 
abortion  are  almost  as  deadly  upon  the  mother  as 
upon  the  child.  The  amount  of  suffering  is  vastly 
greater ; for  that  of  the  child,  if  it  suffer  at  all,  is 
only  momentary,  in  general,  while  the  mother  is 
doomed  to  a life  of  suffering,  of  misery,  if  she  sur- 
vives the  shock  of  the  terrible  outrage  against  her 
nature.  It  has  been  proved  by  statistics  that  the 
danger  of  immediate  death  is  fifteen  times  as  great 
as  in  natural  childbirth.  A medical  author  of 
note  asserts  that  a woman  suffers  more  injury 
from  one  abortion  than  she  would  from  twenty 
normal  births.  Says  Dr.  Gardner  on  this  point : — 
“We  know  that  the  popular  idea  is  that  women 
are  worn  out  by  the  toil  and  wear  connected  with 
the  raising  of  large  families,  and  we  can  willingly 
concede  something  to  this  statement ; but  it  is  cer- 
tainly far  more  observable  that  the  efforts  at  the 
«■  Black. 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


281 


An  Unwelcome  Child.  A Terrible  Punishment. 

present  day,  made  to  avoid  propagation,  are  ten 
thousand-fold  more  disastrous  to  the  health  and 
constitution,  to  say  nothing  of  the  demoralization 
of  mind  and  heart,  which  cannot  be  estimated  by 
red  cheeks  or  physical  vigor.” 

Au  Unwelcome  Child. — But  suppose  the  moth- 
er does  not  succeed  in  her  attempts  against  the  life 
of  her  child,  as  she  may  not ; what  fearful  results 
may  follow ! Who  can  doubt  that  the  murderous 
intent  of  the  mother  will  be  stamped  indelibly 
upon  the  character  of  the  unwelcome  child,  giving 
it  a natural  propensity  for  the  commission  of  mur- 
derous deeds  ? 

Then  again — sickening  thought — suppose  the  at- 
tempts to  destroy  the  child  are  unsuccessful,  re- 
sulting only  in  horrid  mutilation  of  its  tender 
form ; when  such  a child  is  born,  what  terrible 
evidences  may  it  bear  in  its  crippled  and  mis- 
shapen body  of  the  cruel  outrage  perpetrated  upon 
it ! That  such  cases  do  occur  is  certain  from  the 
following  narrative,  which  we  might  confirm  by 
others  similar  in  character  : — 

“ A lady,  determined  not  to  have  any  more  chil- 
dren, went  to  a professed  abortionist,  and  he  at- 
tempted to  effect  the  desired  end  by  violence. 
With  a pointed  instrument  the  attempt  was  again 
and  again  made,  but  without  the  looked-for  result. 
So  vigorously  was  the  effort  made,  that,  astonished 
at  no  result  being  obtained,  the  individual  stated 
that  there  must  be  some  mistake,  that  the  lady 


982  PLAIN  FACTS  FOU 

llomble  Mutilation.  The  Kemedy. 

could  not  be  pregnant,  and  refused  to  perform  any 
further  operations.  Partially  from  doubt  and  par- 
tially from  fear,  nothing  further  was  attempted; 
and  in  due  process  of  time  the  woman  was  deliv- 
ered of  an  infant,  shockingly  mutilated,  with  one 
eye  entirely  put  out,  and  the  brain  so  injured  that 
this  otherwise  robust  child  was  entirely  wanting  in 
ordinary  sense.  This  poor  mother,  it  would  seem, 
needs  no  future  punishment  for  her  sin.  Ten  years 
face  to  face  with  this  poor  idiot,  whose  imbecility 
was  her  direct  work — has  it  not  punished  her 
sufficiently  ? ” 

The  Remedy. — Whether  this  gigantic  evil  can 
ever  be  eradicated,  is  exceedingly  doubtful.  To 
effect  its  cure  would  be  to  make  refined  Christians 
out  of  brutal  sensualists;  to  emancipate  woman 
from  the  enticing,  alluring  slavery  of  fashion;  to 
uproot  false  ideas  of  life  and  its  duties, — in  short, 
to  revolutionize  society.  The  crime  is  perpetrated 
in  secret.  Many  times  no  one  but  the  criminal  her- 
self is  cognizant  of  the  evil  deed.  Only  occasion- 
ally do  cases  come  near  enough  to  the  surface  to  be 
dimly  discernible ; hence  the  evident  inefficiency  of 
any  civil  legislation.  But  the  evil  is  a desperate 
one,  and  is  increasing ; shall  no  attempt  be  made  to 
check  the  tide  of  crime  and  save  the  sufferers  from 
both  physical  and  spiritual  perdition  ? An  effort 
should  be  made,  at  least.  Let  every  Christian  raise 
the  note  of  warning.  From  every  Christian  pulpit 
let  the  truth  be  spoken  in  terms  too  plain  for  mis- 

OLD  AND  TO  UNO. 


2SS 


The  Radical  Cure.  Murder  by  Proxy. 

apprehension.  Let  those  who  are  known  to  be 
guilty  of  this  most  revolting  crime  be  looked  upon 
as  murderers,  as  they  are ; and  let  their  real  moral 
status  be  distinctly  shown. 

All  of  these  means  will  do  something  to  effect  a 
reform ; but  the  radical  cure  of  the  evil  will  only 
be  found  in  the  principles  suggested  in  the  section 
devoted  to  the  consideration  of  “ Marital  Excesses.” 
The  adoption  of  those  principles  and  strict  adher- 
ence to  them  would  effectually  prevent  the  occur- 
rence of  circumstances  which  are  the  occasion  of 
abortions  and  infanticides. 

Murder  by  Proxy. — “There  is,  at  the  present 
time,  a kind  of  infanticide,  which,  although  it  is 
not  so  well  known,  is  even  more  dangerous,  because 
done  with  impunity.  There  are  parents  who  recoil 
with  horror  at  the  idea  of  destroying  their  offspring, 
although  they  would  greatly  desire  to  be  disem- 
barrassed of  them,  who  yet  place  them  without  re- 
morse with  nurses  who  enjoy  the  sinister  reputa- 
tion of  never  returning  the  childi’en  to  those  who 
have  intrusted  them  to  their  care.  These  unfortu- 
nate little  beings  are  condemned  to  perish  from 
inanition  and  bad  treatment. 

“ The  number  of  these  innocent  victims  is  greater 
than  would  be  imagined,  and  very  certainly  exceeds 
that  of  the  marked  infanticides  sent  by  the  public 
prosecutor  to  the  Court  of  the  Assizes.” 


V \ \ 


The  Social  Evil. 


(>o 

fLLICI'T  iritercourse  has  been  a foul  blot  upon 
^ ^ humanity  from  the  earliest  periods  of  history. 
At  the  present  r lent,  it  is  a loathsome  ulcer 
eating  at  the  h-  f cirilization,  a malignant 
leprosy  Av^hieh  sho";^  _ ;s  hideous  deformities  among 
the  fairest  results  o;i  modern  culture.  Our  large 
cities  abound  •with  dens  of  -vice  "whose  habituds 
shamelessly  promenade  the  most  public  streets  and 
flaunt  their  infamy  in  the  face  of  every  passer-by. 
In  many  large  cities,  especially  in  those  of  Conti- 
nental Europe,  these  holds  of  “vice  are  placed  under 
the  supervision  of  the  la'w  by  the  requirement  that 
every  keeper  of  a house  of  prostitution  must  pay 
for  a license ; in  other  words,  must  buy  the  right 
to  lead  his  fellow-men  “ do'wn  to  the  depths  of  hell.” 

In  smaller  cities,  as  weU  as  in  large  ones,  in  fact, 
from  the  great  metropolis  down  to  the  country  -vdl- 
lage,  the  haunts  of  vice  are  found.  Every  army 
is  flanked  by  bands  of  courtesans.  Wherever  men 
go,  loose  women  follow,  penetrating  even  to  the 
wildness  of  the  miner’s  camp,  far  beyond  the 
verge  of  ci'vdlization. 

But  brothels  and  traveling  strumpets  do  not 
fully  represent  the  vast  extent  of  this  monster  e'vil. 
There  is  a class  of  immoral  women — probably  ex- 
284 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


285 


Vice  Abounds.  TJnchastity  of  the  Ancients. 

Deeding  in  numbers  the  grosser  class  just  referred 
to — who  consider  themselves  respectable ; indeed, 
who  are  considered  very  respectable.  Few  are  ac- 
quainted with  their  character.  They  live  in  elegant 
style  and  mingle  in  genteel  society.  Privately, 
they  prosecute  the  most  unbounded  licentiousness, 
for  the  purpose  of  gain,  or  merely  to  gratify  their 
lewdness.  “ Kept  mistresses  ” are  much  more  nu- 
merous than  common  prostitutes. 

The  numerous  scandal  and  divorce  suits  which 
expose  the  infidelity  of  husbands  and  wives,  are 
sufficient  evidence  that  illicit  commerce  is  not  con- 
fined to  the  unmarried ; but  so  many  are  the  facili- 
ties for  covering  and  preventing  the  results  of  sins 
of  this  description  it  is  impossible  to  form  any  just 
estimate  of  their  frequency.  The  incontinence  of 
husbands  and  the  unchastity  of  wives  will  only 
ap'pear  in  their  enormity  at  that  awful  day  when 
eveiy  one  shall  “ stand  before  the  judgment-seat  ” 
and  hear  the  penalty  of  his  guilty  deeds. 

Unchastity  of  the  Ancients.-^We  are  prone 
to  believe"  that  the  present  is  the  most  licentious 
age  the  world  has  ever  known ; that  in  the  nine- 
teenth century  the  climax  of  evil  has  been  reached ; 
that  the  libidinous  blood  of  all  the  ages  has  culmi- 
nated to  produce  a race  of  men  more  carnal  than  all 
predecessors.  It  is  a sickening  thought  that  any 
previous  epoch  could  have  been  more  vile  than 
this ; but  history  presents  facts  which  disclose  in 
ancient  times  periods  when  lust  was  even  more  un- 


286  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Aatediluvian  Wickedness.  Egypt  a Hot-bed  of  Vice. 

controlled  than  now ; when  vice  was  universal ; and 
when  virl  ue  was  a thing  unknown.  A few  refer- 
ences to  historical  facts  will  establish  this  point. 
We  do  not  make  these  allusions  in  any  way  to  jus- 
tify the  present  immorality,  but  to  show  the  part 
which  vice  has  acted  in  the  overthrow  of  nations. 

From  the  sacred  record  we  may  judge  that  before 
the  flood  a state  of  corruption  prevailed  which  was 
even  greater  and  more  general  than  any  that  has 
ever  since  been  reached ; only  eight  persons  were 
fit  to  survive  the  calamity  which  swept  into  eter- 
nity that  lustful  generation  with  their  filthy  deeds. 

But  men  soon  fell  into  vice  again,  for  we  find 
among  the  early  Assyrians  a total  disregard  of 
chastity.  Her  kings  reveled  in  the  grossest  sen- 
suality. 

No  excess  cf  vice  could  surpass  the  licentious- 
ness of  the  Ptolemies,  who  made  of  Alexandria  a 
bagnio,  and  all  Egypt  a hot-bed  of  vice.  Herodotus 
relates  that  “ the  pyramid  of  Cheops  was  built  by 
the  lovers  of  the  daughter  of  this  king ; and  that 
she  never  would  have  raised  this  monument  to  such 
a height  except  by  multiplying  her  prostitutions.” 
History  also  relates  the  adventures  of  that  queenl}- 
courtesan,  Cleopatra,  who  captivated  and  seduced 
by  her  charms  two  masters  of  the  world,  and  whose 
lewdncss  surpassed  even  her  beauty. 

Tyre  and  Sidon,  Media,  Phoenicia,  Syria,  and  all 
the  Orient,  were  sunk  in  sensuality.  Fornication 
was  made  a part  of  their  worship.  Women  carried 


OLD  AND  YOVNG.  287 

Licentious  Worship.  Prostitution  in  Greece. 

through  the  streets  of  the  cities  the  most  obscene 
and  revolting  representations.  Among  all  these 
nations  a virtuous  woman  was  not  to  be  found ; 
for,  according  to  Herodotus,  the  young  women  were 
by  the  laws  of  the  land  “ obliged,  once  in  their 
lives,  to  give  themselves  up  to  the  desires  of  stran- 
gers in  the  temple  of  Venus,  and  were  not  permitted 
to  refuse  any  one.”* 

St.  Augustine  speaks  of  these  religious  debauch- 
eries as  still  practiced  in  his  day  in  Phoenicia. 
They  were  even  continued  until  Constantine  de- 
stroyed the  temples  in  which  they  were  prosecuted, 
in  the  fourth  century. 

Among  the  Greeks  the  same  corruptions  pre- 
vailed in  the  worship  of  Bacchus  and  Phallus, 
which  was  celebrated  by  processions  of  half-nude 
girls  “performing  lascivious  dances  with  men  dis- 
guised . as  satyrs.”  In  fact,  as  X.  Bourgeois  says, 
“ Prostitution  was  in  repute  in  Greece.”  The  most 
distinguished  women  were  courtesans,  and  the  wise 
Socrates  would  be  justly  called,  in  modern  times,  a 
libertine. 

The  abandonment  to  lust  was,  if  possible,  still 
more  complete  in  the  times  of  the  Roman  emperors. 
Rome  astonished  the  universe  “ by  the  boldness  of 
its  turpitudes,  after  having  astonished  it  by  the 
splendor  of  its  triumphs.” 

The  great  CjBsar  was  such  a rake  that  he  has 
been  said  to  have  “ merited  to  be  surnamed  every 

^Bourgeois. 


288 


PLAIN  PACTS  FOR 


Monstrous  Debaucheries.  Empires  Rotten  with  Vice. 

woman’s  husband.”  Antony  and  Augustus  were 
equally  notorious.  The  same  sensuality  pervaded 
the  masses  as  reigned  in  the  courts,  and  was  stimu- 
lated by  the  erotic  poems  of  Ovid,  Catullus,  and 
other  poets  of  the  time. 

Tiberius  displayed  such  ingenuity  in  inventing 
refinements  in  impudicity  that  it  was  necessary  to 
coin  new  words  to  designate  them.  Caligula  com- 
mitted  the  horrid  crime  of  incest  with  all  his  sisters, 
even  in  public.  His  palace  was  a brothel.  The 
Roman  empress,  Messalina,  disguised  herself  as  a 
prostitute  and  excelled  the  most  degraded  courte- 
sans in  her  monstrous  debaucheries.  The  Roman 
emperor  Vitellius  was  accustomed  to  take  an 
emetic  after  having  eaten  to  repletion,  to  enable 
him  to  renew  his  gluttony.  With  still  grosser 
sensuality  he  stimulated  his  satiated  passions  Avith 
philters  and  various  aphrodisiac  mixtures. 

Nero,  the  most  infamous  of  the  emperors,  com- 
mitted rapes  on  the  stage  of  the  public  theaters  of 
Rome,  disguised  as  a wild  beast. 

''  ^ If  this  degraded  voluptuousness  had  been  con- 
fined to  royalty,  some  respect  might  yet  be  enter- 
tained for  the  virtue  of  the  ancients ; but  the  foul 
infection  was  not  restrained  within  such  narrow 
bounds.  It  invaded  whole  empires  until  they  fell 
in  pieces  from  very  rottenness.  ^Tiat  must  have 
been  the  condition  of  a nation  that  could  tolerate 
such  a spectacle  as  its  monarch  riding  through  the 
streets  of  its  metropolis  in  a state  of  nudity,  drawn 


I 


OLD  AND  TOVN&.  289 

Vice  in  the  Thirteenth  Century.  Tall  of  the  Nations. 

bjf  women  in  the  same  condition  ? Such  a deed  did 
Heliogabalus  in  Rome. 

In  the  thirteenth  century,  virtue  was  almost  as 
scarce  in  France  as  in  ancient  Greece.  Nobles  held 
as  mistresses  all  the  young  girls  of  their  domains. 
About  every  fifth  person  was  a bastard.  Just  before 
the  Revolution,  chastity  was  such  a rarity  that  a 
woman  was  actually  obliged  to  apologize  for  being- 
virtuous  ! 

In  these  disgusting  facts  we  find  one  of  the  most 
potent  agents  in  efiecting  the  downfall  of  the  na- 
tions. Licentiousness  sapped  their  vitality  and 
weakened  their  prowess.  The  men  who  conquered 
the  world  were  led  captive  by  their  own  beastly 
passions.  Thus  the  Assyrians,  the  Medes,  the 
Grecians,  the  Romans,  successively  fell  victims  to 
their  lusts,  and  gave  way  to  more  virtuous  success- 
ors. Even  the  Jews,  the  most  enlightened  people 
of  their  age,  fell  more  than  once  through  this  same 
sin,  which  was  coupled  with  idolatry,  of  which  their 
seduction  by  the  Midianites  is  an  example. 

Surely,  modem  times  present  no  worse  specta- 
cles of  carnality  than  these  ; and  wiU  it  be  claimed 
that  anything  so  vile  is  seen  among  civilized  na- 
tions at  the  present  day  ? But  though  there  may 
be  less  grossness  in  the  sensuality  of  to-day,  the 
moral  turpitude  of  men  may  be  even  greater  than 
that  of  ancient  times.  Enlightened  Christianity 
has  raised  the  standard  of  morality.  Christ’s  com- 
mentary upon  the  seventh  commandment  requires 
.19 


290 


PLAIN  PACTS  FOS 


Causes  of  the  “'Social  Evil.’*  Libidinous  Blood, 

a more  rigorous  chastity  than  ancient  standards 
demanded,  even  among  the  J ews ; for  had  not 
David,  Solomon,  and  even  the  pious  Jacob  more 
wives  than  one  ? Consequently,  a slight  breach  of 
chastity  now  requires  as  great  a fall  from  virtue 
as  a greater  lapse  in  ages  past,  and  must  be  at- 
tended with  as  severe  a moral  penalty. 

We  have  seen  how  universal  is  the  “ social  evil,” 
that  it  is  a vice  almost  as  old  as  man  himself, 
which  shows  how  deeply  rooted  in  his  perverted 
nature  it  has  become.  The  inquiry  arises.  What 
are  the  causes  of  so  monstrous  a vice  ? so  gross  an 
outrage  upon  nature’s  laws  ? so  withering  a blight 
upon  the  race  ? 

Causes  of  the  “Social  Evil.” — A vice  that 
has  become  so  great  an  evil,  even  in  these  enlight- 
ened times,  as  to  defy  the  most  skillful  legislation, 
which  openly  displays  its  gaudy  filthiness  and 
mocks  at  virtue  with  a lecherous  stare,  must  have 
its  origin  in  causes  too  powerful  to  be  ignored. 

Libidinous  Blood. — In  no  other  direction  are  the 
effects  of  heredity  to  be  more  distinctly  traced  than 
in  the  transmission  of  sensual  propensities.  The 
children  of  libertines  are  almost  certain  to  be  rakes 
and  prostitutes.  History  affords  numerous  exam- 
ples in  illustration  of  this  fact.  The  daughter  of 
Augustus  was  as  unchaste  as  her  father,  and  her 
daughter  was  as  immoral  as  herself.  The  sons  of 
David  showed  evident  traces  of  their  father’s  fail- 
ino'  Witness  the  incest  of  Amnon,  and  the  vo- 


II 


. 


OLB  AND  YOUNG.  291 

Solomon’s  Voluptuousness.  David's  Great  Sin. 

luptuousness  of  Solomon,  who  had  seven  hundred 
wives  and  three  hundred  concubines.  Solomon’s  j 

son  was,  likewise,  a noted  polygamist,  of  whom  the 
record  says,  “ He  desired  many  wives.”  His  son’s 
son  manifested  the  same  propensity  in  taking  as 
many  wives  as  the  debilitated  state  of  his  kingdom 
enabled  him  to  suppoit.  But  perhaps  we  may  be 
allowed  to  trace  the  origin  of  this  libidinous  pro- 
pensity still  further  back.  A glance  at  the  geneal- 
ogy of  David  will  show  that  he  was  descended 
from  Judah  through  Pharez,  who  was  the  result  of 
an  incestuous  union  between  Judah  and  his  daugh- 
ter-in-law. 

Is  it  unreasonable  to  suppose  that  the  abnormal 
passion  which  led  David  to  commit  the  most  hein- 
ous sin  of  his  life  in  his  adultery  with  Bath-sheba 
and  subsequently  procuring  the  death  of  her  hus- 
band, was  really  an  hereditary  propensity  which 
had  come  down  to  him  through  his  ancestors,  and 
which,  under  more  favorable  circumstances,  was 
more  fully  developed  in  his  sons  ? The  trait  may 
have  been  kept  dormant  by  the  active  and  simple 
habits  of  his  early  years,  but  asserted  itself  in  full 
force  under  the  fostering  influence  of  royal  idle- 
ness and  luxury.  In  accordance  with  the  known 
laws  of  heredity,  such  a tendency  would  be  the 
legitimate  result  of  such  a combination  of  circum- 
stances. 

The  influence  of  marital  excesses,  and  especially 
sexual  indulgence  during  pregnancy,  in  producing 


292 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 


Gluttony.  Condiments.  Tea,  Coffee,  and  Tobacco. 

vicious  tendencies  in  offspring,  has  been  fully  dwelt 
upon  elsewhere  in  this  work,  and  will  not  he  re- 
considered here,  it  being  only  necessary  to  call 
attention  to  the  subject.  Physiology  shows  con- 
clusively that  thousands  of  parents  whose  sons 
have  become  libertines  and  their  daughters  courte- 
sans, have  themselves  implanted  in  their  characters 
the  propensity  which  led  to  their  unchastity. 

Gluttony. — As  a predisposing  cause,  the  influ- 
ence of  dietetic  habits  should  rank  next  to  heredity. 
It  is  an  observed  fact  that  “ all  libertines  are  great 
eaters  or  famous  gastronomists.”  The  exciting  in- 
fluence upon  the  genital  organs  of  such  articles  as 
pepper,  mustard,  ginger,  spices,  truffles,  wine,  and 
all  alcoholic  drinks,  is  well  known.  Tea  and  cofiee 
directly  excite  the  animal  passions  through  their 
influence  upon  the  nerve  centers  controlling  the 
sexual  organs.  When  children  are  raised  upon 
such  articles,  or  upon  food  with  which  they  are 
thoroughly  mingled,  what  wonder  that  they  occa- 
sionally “turn  out  bad”?  How  many  mothers, 
while  teaching  their  children  the  principles  of  vir- 
tue in  the  nursery,  unwrittingly  stimulate  their 
passions  at  the  dinner  table  imtil  vice  becomes 
almost  a physical  necessity  ! 

Nothing  tends  so  powerfully  to  keep  the  pas- 
sions in  abeyance  as  a simple  diet,  free  from  condi- 
ments, especially  when  coupled  with  a generous 
amount  of  exercise. 

The  influence  of  tobacco  in  leading  to  unchastity 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


293 


Precocious  Sensuality.  Man’s  Lewdness. 

has  been  referred  to  in  another  connection.  This 
is  assuredly  a not  uncommon  cause.  When  a boy 
places  the  first  cigar  or  quid  of  tobacco  to  his  lips, 
he  takes — if  he  has  not  previously  done  so — the 
first  step  in  the  road  to  infamy ; and  if  he  adds 
wine  or  beer,  he  takes  a short  cut  to  the  degrada- 
tion of  his  manhood  by  the  loss  of  virtue. 

Precocious  Sexuality. — The  causes  of  a too 
early  development  of  sexual  peculiarities,  as  mani- 
fested in  infantile  flirtations  and  early  signs  of  sex- 
ual passion,  were  dwelt  upon  quite  fully  in  a pre- 
vious connection,  and  we  need  not  repeat  them 
here.  Certain  it  is  that  few  things  can  be  more 
dangerous  to  virtue  than  the  premature  develop- 
ment of  those  sentiments  which  belong  only  to  pu- 
berty and  later  years.  It  is  a most  unnatural,  but 
not  uncommon,  sight  to  see  a girl  of  tender  age 
evincing  all  those  characters  which  mark  the  wan- 
ton of  older  years. 

Man’s  Lewdness. — It  cannot  be  denied  that 
men  are  in  the  greatest  degree  responsible  for  the 
“ social  evil.”  The  general  principle  holds  true 
here  as  elsewhere  that  the  supply  is  regulated  by 
the  demand.  If  the  patrons  of  prostitution  should 
withdraw  their  support  by  a sudden  acquisition  of 
virtue,  how  soon  would  this  vilest  of  traffics  cease ! 
The  inmates  of  brothels  would  themselves  become 
continent,  if  not  virtuous,  as  the  result  of  such  a 
spasm  of  chastity  in  men. 

Again,  the  ranks  of  fallen  women,  which  are 


294  PLAIN  PACTS  POP 

Woman’s  Frailty.  Unfair  Discrimination.  Fashion. 

rapidly  thinned  by  loathesome  diseases  and  honid 
deaths,  are  largely  recruited  from  that  class  of  un- 
fortunates for  whose  fall  faithless  lovers  or  cun- 
ning, heartless  libertines  are  chiefly  responsible. 
The  weak  girl  who,  through  too  much  trust,  has 
been  deceived  and  robbed  of  her  dearest  treasure, 
is  disowned  by  relatives,  shunned  by  her  acquaint- 
ances, and  turned  out  upon  a cold  world  with- 
out money,  without  friends,  without  a character. 
What  can  she  do  ? Respectable  employment  she 
cannot  find,  for  rumor  follows  her.  There  seems  to 
be  but  one  door  open,  the  one  which  she  herself  so 
uninientionally  opened.  In  despair,  she  enters  the 
“ open  road  to  hell,”  and  to  her  fii-st  sad  error  adds 
a life  of  shame.  Meanwhile,  the  villain  who  be- 
trayed her  still  maintains  his  standing  in  society, 
and  plies  his  arts  to  win  another  victim.  Is  there 
not  an  unfair  discrimination  here  ? Should  not  the 
seducer  be  blackened  with  an  infamy  at  least  as 
deep  as  that  which  society  casts  on  the  one  be- 
trayed ? 

Fashion. — The  temptation  of  dress,  fine  cloth- 
ing, costly  jewelry,  and  all  the  extravagances  with 
which  rich  ladies  array  themselves,  is  in  many 
cases  too  powerful  for  the  weakened  virtue  of  poor 
seamtresses,  operatives,  and  servant  girls,  who  have 
seen  so  much  of  vice  as  to  have  lost  that  instinctive 
loathing  for  it  which  they  may  have  once  experi- 
enced. Thinking  to  gain  a life  of  ease,  with  means 
to  gratify  their  love  of  show,  they  barter  away 


OLD  AND  YOUNG.  £95 

Lack  of  Early  Training,  Erect  the  Barriers  Early. 

their  peace  of  mind  for  this  world,  all  hope  for  the 
next,  and  only  gain  a little  worthless  tinsel,  the 
scorn  of  their  fellow-creatures,  and  a host  of  loath- 
some diseases. 

Lack  of  Early  Training. — It  is  needless  to 
demonstrate  a fact  so  well  established  as  that  the 
future  character  of  an  individual  depends  very 
largely  upon  his  early  training.  If  purity  and 
modesty  are  taught  from  earliest  infancy,  the  mind 
is  fortified  against  the  assaults  of  vice.  If,  instead, 
the  child  is  allowed  to  grow  up  untrained,  if  the 
seeds  of  vice  which  are  sure  to  fall  sooner  or  later 
in  the  most  carefully  kept  ground  are  allowed  to 
germinate,  if  the  first  buds  of  evil  are  allowed  to 
grow  and  unfold  instead  of  being  promptly  nipped, 
it  must  not  be  considered  remarkable  that  in  later 
years  rank  weeds  of  sin  should  flourish  in  the  soul 
and  bear  their  hideous  fruit  in  shameless  lives. 

Neglect  to  guard  the  avenues  by  which  evil  may 
approach  the  young  mind,  and  to  erect  barriers 
against  vice  by  careful  instruction  and  a chaste  ex- 
ample, leaves  many  innocent  souls  open  to  the  as- 
saults of  evil,  and  an  easy  prey  to  lust.  If  chil- 
dren are  allowed  to  get  their  training  in  the  street, 
at  the  corner  grocery,  or  hovering  around  saloons, 
they  will  be  sure  to  develop  a vigorous  growth  of 
the  animal  passions.  The  following  extract  is  from 
the  writings  of  one  whose  pen  has  been  an  inesti- 
mable blessing  to  American  youth  : — 

“ Among  the  first  lessons  which  boys  learn  of  their 


296  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Early  Departures.  Sentimental  Literature. 

fellows  are  impurities  of  language ; and  these  are 
soon  followed  by  impurities  of  thought.  . . . 

When  this  is  the  training  of  boyhood,  it  is  not 
strange  that  the  predominating  ideas  among  young 
men,  in  relation  to  the  other  sex,  are  too  often 
those  of  impurity  and  sensuality.  . . . We  can- 

not be  surprised,  then,  that  the  history  of  most 
young  men  is,  that  they  yield  to  temptation  in  a 
greater  or  less  degree  and  in  different  ways.  With 
many,  no  doubt,  the  indulgence  is  transient,  acci- 
dental, and  does  not  become  habitual.  It  does  not 
get  to  be  regarded  as  venial.  It  is  never  yielded 
to  without  remorse.  The  wish  and  the  purpose  are 
to  resist ; but  the  animal  nature  bears  down  the 
moral.  Still,  transgression  is  always  followed  by 
grief  and  penitence. 

“ Witli  too  many,  however,  it  is  to  be  feared,  it 
is  not  so.  The  mind  has  become  debauched  by 
dwelling  on  licentious  images,  and  by  indulgence 
in  licentious  conversation.  There  is  no  wish  to  re- 
sist. They  are  not  overtaken  by  temptation,  for 
they  seek  it.  With  them  the  transgression  be- 
comes habitual,  and  the  stain  on  the  character  is 
deep  and  lasting.”  * 

Sentimental  Literature. — In  another  connec- 
tion, we  have  referred  particularly  to  the  bawdy, 
obscene  books  and  pictures  which  are  secretly  cir- 
culated among  the  youth  of  both  sexes,  and  to 
their  corrupting  influence.  The  hope  is  not  en- 

* Ware. 

. . . 

- 

OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


297 


Pernicious  Books  in  Public  Libraries.  Religious  Novels. 

ti?’ely  a vain  one  that  this  evil  may  he  controlled ; 
but  there  seems  no  possible  practicable  remedy  for 
another  evil  which  ultimately  leads  to  the  same 
result,  though  by  less  gross  and  obscene  methods. 
We  refer  to  the  sentimental  literature  which  floods 
the  land.  City  and  school  libraries,  circrdating 
libraries,  and  even  Sunday-school  libraries,  are  full 
of  bouks  which,  though  they  may  contain  good 
moral  teaching,  contain,  as  well,  an  element  as  in- 
compatible with  purity  of  morals  as  is  light  with 
midnight  darkness.  Writers  for  children  and 
youth  seem  to  think  a tale  of  “courtship,  love, 
and  matrimon3?'”  entirely  indispensable  as  a me- 
dium for  conveying  their  moral  instruction.  Some 
of  these  “ religious  novels  ” are  actually  more  per- 
nicious than  the  fictions  of  well-known  novelists 
who  make  no  pretense  to  having  religious  instruc- 
tion a particular  object  in  view.  Sunday-school 
libraries  are  not  often  wholly  composed  of  this 
class  of  works,  but  any  one  who  takes  the  trouble 
to  examine  the  books  of  such  a library  will  be  able 
to  select  the  most  pernicious  ones  by  the  external 
appearance.  The  covers  will  be  well  worn  and  the 
edges  begrimmed  with  dirt  from  much  handling. 
Children  soon  tire  of  the  shallow  sameness  which 
characterizes  the  “moral”  parts  of  most  of  these 
books,  and  skim  lightly  over  them,  selecting  and 
devouring  with  eagerness  those  portions  which  re- 
late the  silly  narrative  of  some  love  adventure. 
This  kind  of  literature  arouses  in  cluldrerv  prema- 


298  PLAIN  FACTS  FOB. 

An  Avenue  to  Vice.  Govern  the  Child's  Eeading. 

ture  fancies  and  queries,  and  fosters  a sentimental- 
ism which  too  often  occasions  most  unhappy  re- 
sults. Through  their  influence,  young  girls  are 
often  led  to  begin  a life  of  shame  long  before  their 
parents  are  aware  that  a thought  of  evil  has  ever 
entered  their  minds. 

The  following  words  from  the  pen  of  a forcible 
writer  * present  this  matter  in  none  too  stronsr  a 
light;— 

“ You  may  tear  your  coat  or  break  a vase,  and 
repair  them  again ; but  the  point  where  the  rip  or 
fracture  took  place  will  always  be  evident.  It 
takes  less  than  an  hour  to  do  your  heart  a damage 
which  no  time  can  entirely  repair.  Look  carefully 
over  your  child’s  library ; see  what  book  it  is  that 
he  reads  after  he  has  gone  to  bed,  with  the  gas 
turned  upon  the  pillow.  Do  not  always  take  it 
for  granted  that  a book  is  good  because  it  is  a 
Sunday-school  book.  As  far  as  possible,  know 
who  wrote  it,  who  illustrated  it,  who  published  it, 
who  sold  it. 

“ It  seems  that  in  the  literature  of  the  day  the 
ten  plagues  of  Egypt  have  returned,  and  the  frogs 
and  lice  have  hopped  and  skipped  over  our  parlor 
tables. 

“Parents  are  delighted  to  have  their  children 
read,  but  they  should  be  sure  as  to  what  they  read. 
You  do  not  have  to  walk  a day  or  two  in  an  in- 
fested district  to  get  the  cholera  or  typhoid  fever; 

•*  T.  De  Witt  Talmage. 


OLD  AND  TO  UNO. 


299 


The  Way  to  Kuin  Cheap.  Poverty. 

and  one  wave  of  moral  unhealtli  will  fever  and 
blast  the  soul  forever.  Perhaps,  knowing  not 
what  you  did,  you  read  a bad  book.  Do  you  not 
remember  it  altogether  ? Yes  ! and  perhaps  you 
will  never  get  over  it.  However  strong  and  ex- 
alted  your  character,  never  read  a bad  book.  By 
the  time  you  get  through  the  first  chapter  you  will 
see  the  drift.  If  you  find  the  marks  of  the  hoofs 
of  the  devil  in  the  pictures,  or  in  the  style,  or  in 
the  plot,  away  with  it. 

“ But  there  is  more  danger,  I think,  from  many 
of  the  family  papers,  published  once  a week,  in 
those  stories  of  vice  and  shame,  full  of  infamous 
suggestions,  going  as  far  as  they  can  without  ex- 
posing themselves  to  the  clutch  of  the  law.  I 
name  none  of  them  ; but  say  that  on  some  fashion- 
able tables  there  lie  ‘ family  newspapers  ’ that 
are  the  very  vomit  of  the  pit. 

“ The  way  to  ruin  is  cheap.  It  costs  three  dol- 
lars to  go  to  Philadelphia ; six  dollars  to  Boston ; 
thii'ty-three  dollars  to  Savannah ; but,  by  the  pur- 
chase of  a bad  paper  for  ten  cents  you  may  get  a 
through  ticket  to  hell,  by  express,  with  few  stop- 
ping places,  and  the  final  halting  like  the  tum- 
bling of  the  lightning  train  down  the  draw-bridge 
at  Norwalk — sudden,  terrific,  deathful,  never  to 
rise.” 

Poverty. — The  pressing  influence  of  poverty 
has  been  urged  as  one  cause  of  prostitution.  It 
cannot  be  denied  that  in  many  cases,  in  large 


300 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 


Poverty  no  Excuse.  Ignorance. 

cities,  this  may  be  the  immediate  occasion  of  the 
entrance  of  a young  girl  upon  a life  of  shame; 
but  it  may  still  be  insisted  that  there  must  have 
been,  in  such  cases,  a deficiency  in  previous  train- 
ing ; for  a young  woman,  educated  with  a proper 
regard  for  purity,  would  sooner  sacrifice  life  itself 
than  virtue.  Again,  poverty  can  be  no  excuse,  for 
in  every  city  there  are  made  provisions  for  the  re- 
lief- of  the  needy  poor,  and  none  who  are  really 
worthy  need  suffer. 

Iguorauce. — Perhaps  nothing  fostei-s  vice  more 
than  ignorance.  Prostitutes  come  almost  entirely 
from  the  more  ignorant  classes,  though  there  are, 
of  course,  many  exceptions.  Among  the  lowest 
classes,  vice  is  seen  in  its  grossest  forms,  and  is 
carried  to  the  greatest  lengths.  Intellectual  cul- 
tui'e  is  antagonistic  to  sensuality.  As  a general 
rule,  in  proportion  as  the  intellect  is  developed, 
the  animal  passions  are  brought  into  subjection. 
It  is  true  that  very  intellectual  men  have  been 
great  libertines,  and  that  the  licentious  Borgias 
and  Medicis  of  Italy  encouraged  art  and  litera- 
ture ; but  these  are  only  apparent  exceptions,  for 
who  knows  to  what  greater  depths  of  Auce  these 
individuals  might  have  sunk  had  it  not  been  for 
the  resti’aining  influence  of  mental  culture  ? 

Says  Deslandes,  “In  proportion  as  the  intellect 
becomes  enfeebled,  the  generative  sensibility  is 
auo-mented.”  The  animal  passions  seem  to  survive 
when  all  higher  intelligence  is  lost.  We  once  saw 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


301 


Disease.  Nymphomania.  Various  Maladies. 

an  illustration  of  this' fact  in  an  idiot  who  was 
brought  before  a medical  class  in  a clinic  at  Belle- 
vue Hospital,  New  York.  The  patient  had  been 
an  idiot  from  birth,  and  presented  the  most  revolt- 
ing  appearance,  seemingly  possessing  scarcely  the 
intelligence  of  the  average  dog;  hut  his  animal 
propensities  were  so  great  as  to  be  almost  uncon- 
trollable. Indeed,  he  showed  evidences  of  having 
been  a gross  debauchee,  having  contracted  venereal 
disease  of  the  worst  form.  The  general  prevalence 
of  extravagant  sexual  excitement  among  the  in- 
sane is  a well-known  fact. 

Disease. — Various  diseases  which  cause  local 
irritation  and  congestion  of  the  reproductive  or- 
gans are  the  causes  of  unchastity  in  both  sexes,  as 
previously  explained.  It  not  unfrequently  hap- 
pens that  by  constantly  dwelling  upon  unchaste 
subjects  until  a condition  of  habitual  congestion 
of  the  sexual  organs  is  produced,  young  women 
become  seized  with  a furor  for  libidinous  com- 
merce which  nothing  but  the  desired  object  will 
appease,  unless  active  remedial  measures  are  adopt- 
ed under  the  direction  of  a skillful  physician. 
This  disease,  known  as  nym2)homania,  has  been 
the  occasion  of  the  fall  of  many  young  women  of 
the  better  classes  who  have  been  bred  in  luxury 
and  idleness,  but  were  never  taught  even  the  first 
lessons  of  purity  or  self-control.  Constipation, 
piles,  worms,  pruritis  of  the  genitals,  and  some 
other  less  common  diseases  of  the  urinary  and  gen- 


302  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Results  of  Licentiousness.  A Fearful  Malady. 

ital  systems,  have  been  causes  of  sexual  excitement 
which  has  resulted  in  moral  degradation. 

Results  of  Licentiousness. — Apparently  as  a 
safeguard  to  virtue,  nature  has  appended  t'o  the 
sin  of  illicit  sexual  indulgence,  as  penalties,  the 
most  loathsome,  deadly,  and  incurable  diseases 
known  to  man.  Some  of  these,  as  gonorrhea  and 
chancroid,  are  purely  local  diseases ; and  though 
they  occasion  the  transgressor  a vast  amount  of 
suffering,  they  may  be  cured  and  leave  no  trace  of 
their  presence  except  in  the  conscience  of  the  in- 
dividual. Such  a result,  however,  is  by  no  means 
the  usual  one.  Most  frequently,  the  injury  done  is 
more  or  less  permanent",  sometimes  it  amounts  to 
lass  of  life  or  serious  mutilation,  as  in  cases  we 
have  seen.  And  one  attack  secures  no  immunity 
from  subsequent  ones,  as  a new  disease  may  be 
contracted  upon  every  exposure. 

By  far  the  worst  form  of  venereal  disease  is 
syphilis,  a malady  which  was  formerly  confounded 
with  the  two  forms  of  disease  mentioned,  but  from 
which  it  is  essentially  different.  At  first,  a veiy 
‘ slight  local  lesion,  of  no  more  consequence — ex- 
cept from  its  significance — than  a small  boil,  it 
rapidly  infects  the  general  system,  poisoning  the 
whole  body,  and  liable  forever  after  to  develop 
itself  in  any  one  or  more  of  its  protean  fomis. 
The  most  loathsome  sight  upon  which  a human 
eye  can  rest  is  a victim  of  this  disease  who  pre- 
sents it  well  developed  in  its  later  stages.  In  the 


OLD  AND  TOUNO.  303 

The  Terrible  Punishment.  Thousands  of  Victims. 

. large  Charity  Hospital  upon  Blackwell’s  Island, 
near  New  York  City,  we  have  seen  scores  of  these 
unfortunates  of  both  sexes,  exhibiting  the  horrid 
disease  in  all  its  phases.  To  describe  them  would 
be  to  place  before  our  readers  a picture  too  revolt- 
ing for  these  pages.  No  pen  can  portray  the  woe- 
begone faces,  the  hopeless  air,  of  these  degraded 
sufferers  whose  repentance  has  come,  alas!  too 
late.  No  words  can  convey  an  adequate  idea  of 
their  suflferings.  What  remorse  and  useless  regrets 
add  to  the  misery  of  their  wretched  existence  as 
they  daily  watch  the  progress  of  a malignant 
ulceration  which  is  destroying  their  organs  of 
speech,  or  burrowing  deep  into  the  recesses  of  the 
skull,  penetrating  even  to  the  brain  itself ! Even 
the  bones  become  rottenness ; foul  running  sores 
appear  on  different  portions  of  the  body,  and  may 
even  cover  it  entirely.  Perhaps  the  nose,  or  the 
tongue,  or  the  lips,  or  an  eye,  or  some  other  prom- 
inent organ,  is  lost.  Still  the  miserable  sufferer 
lingers  on,  life  serving  only  to  prolong  the  torture. 

To  many  of  them,  death  would  be  a grateful 
release,  even  with  the  fires  of  retiibutive  justice 
before  their  eyes ; for  hell  itself  could  scarcely  be 
more  awful  punishment  than  that  which  they 
daily  endure. 

Thousands  of  Yictims.  — The  venturesome 
youth  need  not  attempt  to  calm  his  fears  by 
thinking  that  these  are  only  exceptional  cases, 
for  this  is  not  the  truth.  In  any  city,  one  who 

304 


JPLAIN  FACTS  FOB 


Efiecw  of  Vice  fueradl«able.  Contamination  without  Transgression. 

has  an  experienced  eye  can  scarcely  walk  a dozen 
blocks  on  busy  streets  without  encountering  the 
woeful  effects  of  sexual  transgression.  Neither 
do  these  results  come  only  from  long-continued 
violations  of  the  laws  of  chastity.  The  very 
first  departure  from  virtue  may  occasion  all  the 
worst  effects  possible. 

Effects  of  Yice  IneradicaMe. — Another  fear- 
ful feature  of  this  terrible  disease  is  that  when 
once  it  invades  the  system  its  eradication  is  impos- 
sible. No  drug,  no  chemical,  can  antidote  its  viru- 
lent poison  or  drive  it  from  the  system.  Various 
means  may  smother  it,  possibly  for  a life-time  ; but 
yet  it  is  not  cured,  and  the  patient  is  never  safe 
from  a new  outbreak.  Prof.  Bumstead,  an  ac- 
knowledged authority  on  this  subject,  after  obseiw- 
ing  the  disease  for  many  years,  says  that  “ he  never 
after  treatment,  however  prolonged,  promises  im- 
munity for  the  future.”*  Dr.  Van  Buren,  professor 
of  surgery  at  Bellevue  Hospital  Medical  College, 
New  York,  bears  the  same  testimony. 

Prof.  Van  Buren  also  says  that  he  has  often  seen 
the  disease  occur  upon  the  lips  of  young  ladies 
who  were  entirely  virtuous,  but  who  were  engaged 
to  men  who  had  contracted  the  disease  and  had 
communicated  it  to  them  by  the  act  of  kissing. 
Virtuous  wives  have  not  infrequently  had  their 
constitutions  hopelessly  ruined  by  contracting  the 
disease  from  husbands  who  had  themselves . been 


* Venereal  Disease. 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


305 


The  Only  Hope.  A Cause  of  Scrofula. 

inoculated  either  before  or  after  marriage,  by  illicit 
intercourse.  Several  such  unfortunate  cases  have 
fallen  under  our  observation,  and  there  is  reason  to 
believe  that  they  are  not  infrequent. 

The  Only  Hope. — The  only  hope  for  one  who 
has  contracted  this  disease  is  to  lead  a life  of  per- 
fect continence  ever  after,  and  by  a most  careful 
life,  by  conforming  strictly  to  the  laws  of  health, 
by  bathing  and  dieting,  he  may  possibly  avoid  the 
horrid  consequences  of  the  later  stages  of  the  mal- 
ady. Mercury  will  not  cure,  nor  will  any  other 
poison,  as  before  remarked. 

The  following  strong  testimony  on  this  subject 
we  quote  from  an  admirable  pamphlet  by  Prof. 
Fred.  H.  Gerrish,  M.  D. 

“ The  diseases  dependent  upon  prostitution  are 
appallingly  frequent,  a distinguished  surgeon  re- 
cently declaring  that  one  person  in  twenty  in  the 
United  States  has  syphilis,  a malady  so  ineradica- 
ble that  a profound  observer  has  remarked  that  ‘ a 
man  who  is  once  thus  poisoned  will  die  a syphilitic, 
and,  in  the  day  of  Judgment,  he  will  be  a syphilitic 
ghost.’  Prof.  Gross  says : ‘ What  is  called  scrofula, 
struma,  or  tuberculosis,  is,  I have  long  been  satis- 
fied from  careful  observation  of  the  sick  and  a pro- 
found study  of  the  literature  of  the  subject,  in  a 
great  majority  of  cases,  if  not  invariably,  merely 
syphilis  in  its  more  remote  stages.’  Though  there 
are  doubtless  many  of  us  who  believe  that  a not 
inconsiderable  proportion  of  scrofulous  and  phthis- 
•20 


V 


306 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 


Hereditary  Effects  of  Venereal  D!:iease. 


A Tenible  Picture. 


ical  cases  are  clearly  due  to  other  causes  than 
syphilis,  we  must  admit  that  this  statement  con- 
tains a very  large  element  of  truth.” 

Hereditary  Effects  of  Teuereal  Disease. — 
The  transgressor  is  not  the  only  sufferer.  If  he 
marries,  his  children,  if  they  survive  infancy,  will 
in  later  years  show  the  effects  of  their  father’s  sin, 
exhibiting  the  forms  of  the  disease  seen  in  its  later 
stages.  Scrofula,  consumption,  cancer,  rickets,  dis- 
eases of  the  brain  and  neiwes,  decay  of  the  hones 
by  caries  or  necrosis,  and  other  diseases,  arise  in 
this  way. 

But  it  generally  happens  that  the  child  dies  be- 
fore birth,  or  lingers  out  a miserable  existence  of  a 
few  days  or  weeks  thereafter.  A most  pitiable 
sight  these  little  ones  are.  Their  faces  look  as  old 
as  children-  of  ten  or  twelve.  Often  their  bodies 
! become  reduced  before  death  to  the  most  wretched 
i skeletons.  Their  hollow,  feeble  cry  sends  a shud- 
der of  hoiTor  through  the  listener,  and  impresses 
indelibly  the  terrible  consequences  of  sexual  sin. 
Plenty  of  these  scrawny  infants  may  be  seen  in 
the  lying-in  hospitals. 

No  one  can  estimate  how  much  of  the  excessive 
mortality  of  infants  is  owing  to  this  cause. 

In  children  who  survive  infancy,  its  blighting 
influence  may  be  seen  in  the  notched,  deformed 
teeth,  and  other  defects  ; and  very  often  it  will  be 
found,  upon  looking  into  the  mouth  of  the  child, 
that  the  soft  palate,  and  perhaps  the  hard  palate  as 


OLD  ANT)  TOUN-O. 


007 


Mail  tile  Only  Transgressor.  Origin  of  the  Fonl  Disease. 

well,  is  in  a state  of  ulceration.  There  is  more 
than  a suspicion  that  this  disease  may  be  trans- 
mitted for  several  generations,  perhaps  remaining 
latent  during  the  life-time  of  one,  and  appearing 
in  all  its  virulence  in  the  next. 

Man  the  Only  Transgressor. — Man  is  the  only 
animal  that  abuses  his  sexual  organization  by 
making  it  subservient  to  other  ends  than  repi’oduc- 
tion ; hence  he  is  the  only  sufferer  from  this  foul 
disease,  which  is  one  of  the  penalties  of  such  abuse. 
Attempts  have  been  made  to  communicate  the  dis- 
ease to  lower  animals,  but  without  success,  even 
though  inoculation  was  practiced. 

Origin  of  the  Foul  Disease. — Where  or  when 
the  disease  originated,  is  a mystery.  It  is  said  to 
have  been  introduced  into  France  from  Naples  by 
French  soldiers.  That  it  originated  spontaneously 
at  some  time  can  scarcely  be  doubted,  and  that  it 
might  originate  under  circumstances  of  excessive 
violation  of  the  laws  of  chastity  is  rendered  proba- 
ble by  the  fact  that  gonorrhea,  or  an  infectious 
disease  exactly  resembling  it,  is  often  caused^  by 
excessive  indulgence,  from  wdiich  cause  it  not  in- 
frequently occurs  in  the  newly  married,  giving  rise 
to  unjust  suspicion  of  infidelity  on  both  sides. 

Read  the  following  from  a noted  French  physi- 
cian : — 

“The  father,  as  well  as  the  mother,  communi- 
cates the  syphilitic  virus  to  the  children.  These 
poor  little  beings  are  attacked  sometimes  at  their 


308 


PLAIN  PACTS  FOB 


Infaut  Victims. 


Cure  of  the  “ Social  Evil.” 


birth ; more  often  it  is  at  the  end  of  a month  or 
two,  before  these  morbid  symptoms  appear. 

“ I recall  the  heart-rending  anguish  of  a mother 
whom  I assisted  at  her  fifth  confinement.  She  re- 
lated to  me  her  misfortune : ‘ I have  already 
brought  into  the  world  four  children.  Alas ! they 
all  died  duiing  the  first  months  of  their  existence. 
A frightful  eruption  wasted  them  away  and  killed 
them.  Save  me  the  one  that  is  about  to  be  born  ! ’ 
cried  she,  in  tears.  The  child  that  I delivered  was 
sickly  and  puny.  A few  days  after  its  birth,  it  had 
puiulent  ophthalmia ; then,  crusted  and  ulcerated 
pustules,  a few  at  first,  numerous  afterward,  cov- 
ered the  entire  sui-face  of  the  skin.  Soon  this  mis- 
erable little  being  became  as  meager  as  a skeleton, 
hideous  to  the  sight,  and  died.  Having  questioned 
the  husband,  he  acknowledged  to  me  that  he  had 
had  syphilis.”  * 

Cure  of  the  “ Social  Evil.” — With  rare  excep- 
tions, the  efibrts  of  civil  legislation  have  been  di-. 
rected  toward  controlling  or  modifjfing  this  vice, 
rather  than  extirpating  it. 

Among  other  devices  adopted  with  a view  to 
effect  this,  and  to  mitigate  in  some  degree  the  re- 
sulting evils,  the  issuing  of  licenses  for  bi’othels 
has  been  practiced  in  several  large  cities.  One  of 
tlie  conditions  of  the  license  makes  it  obligatoiy 
upon  the  keepers  of  houses  of  ill-repute  and  their 
inmates  to  submit  to  medical  examination  at  stated 


* Bourgeois. 


OLB  AND  YOUNG.  SQQ 

License  Not  a Remedy.  Legalized  Vice. 

intervals.  By  this  means,  it  is  expected  to  detect 
the  cases  of  foul  disease  at  the  outset,  and  thus  to 
protect  others  by  placing  the  infected  individuals 
under  restraint  and  treatment.  It  will  be  seen  that 
for  many  reasons  such  examinations  could  not  be 
eflective ; but,  even  if  they  were,  the  propriety  of 
this  plan  of  dealing  with  the  vice  is  exceedingly 
questionable,  as  will  appear  from  the  following  con- 
siderations : — 

1.  The  moment  that  prostitution  is  placed  under 
the  protection  of  law  by  means  of  a license,  it  at 
once  loses  half  its  disrepute,  and  becomes  respecta- 
ble, as  do  gambling  and  liquor-selling  under  the 
same  circumstances. 

2.  Why  should  so  vile  a crime  as  fornication  be 
taken  under  legal  protection  more  than  stealing  or 
the  lowest  forms  of  gambling  ? Is  it  not  a lesser 

Clime  against  human  nature  to  rob  a man  of  his 
money  by  theft  or  by  deceit  and  trickery  than  to 
snatch  from  him  at  one  fell  swoop  his  health,  his 
virtue,  and  his  peace  of  mind  ? Why  not  as  well 
have  laws  to  regulate  burglary  and  assassination, 
allowing  the  perpetrators  of  those  crimes  to  ply 
their  chosen  avocations  with  impunity  under  cer- 
tain prescribed  restrictions  ; if  robbery,  for  instance, 
requiring  the  thief  to  leave  his  victim  money  enough 
to  make  his  escape  to  another  country;  or,  if  murder, 
directing  the  assassin  to  allow  his  intended  victim 
time  to  repeat  a sufficient  number  of  Ave  Marias 
to  insure  his  safe  transit  through  purgatory  or  to 

I 

i 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 


OlO 

Prevention  the  onlj'  Cure.  Early  Training. 

pay  a priest  for  doing  the  same  ? Such  a couree 
would  not  be  inconsistent  Avith  the  policy  which 
legalizes  that  infamous  traffic  in  human  souls, 
prostitution. 

3.  By  the  use  of  certain  precautionary  measures 
the  fears  of  many  will  be  allayed,  so  that  thousands 
whose  fear  of  the  consequences  of  sin  would  other- 
wise have  kept  them  physically  virtuous,  at  least, 
erroneously  supposing  that  the  cause  for  fear  has 
been  removed,  will  rash  madly  into  a career  of  vice, 
and  will  learn  only  too  late  the  folly  of  their  course. 

Prevention  the  Only  Cnre. — Those  who  have 
once  entered  upon  a career  of  sensuality  are  gener- 
ally so  completely  lost  to  all  sense  of  purity  and 
right  that  there  is  little  chance  for  reforming  them. 
Tliey  have  no  principle  to  Avhich  to  appeal.  The 
gratification  of  lust  so  degrades  the  soul  and  he- 
numbs  the  higher  sensibilities  that  a votary  of  vo- 
luptuousness is  a most  unpromising  subject  for  re- 
formatory efforts.  The  old  adage  that  an  ounce  of 
prevention  is  worth  a pound  of  cure  Ls  strikingly 
exemplified  in  this  case.  The  remedy  must  be  ap- 
plied before  the  depths  have  been  reached.  It  was 
Avell  said  by  a celebrated  phA'sician  to  a young  man 
beginning  a life  of  vice,  “ You  are  entering  upon  a 
career  from  which  you  will  never  turn  back.” 

Early  Training. — The  remedy,  to  be  effective, 
must  be  applied  early,  the  earlier  the  better.  Les- 
sons on  chastity  may  be  given  in  early  infancy. 
The  remedy  may  be  applied  even  further  back  than 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


311 


Inculcate  Virtue  Early.  Teach  Self-Conl  rol. 

tins ; children  must  be  virtuously  generated.  The 
bearing  of  this  point  will  be  fully  appreciated  in 
connection  with  the  principles  established  in  the 
preceding  pages  of  this  work,  and  which  have  al- 
ready been  sufficiently  elucidated. 

Children  should  be  early  taught  to  reverence  vir- 
tue, to  abhor  lust ; and  boj^s  should  be  so  trained 
that  they  will  associate  with  the  name  of  woman 
only  pure,  chaste,  and  noble  thoughts.  Few  things 
are  more  deeply  injurious  to  the  character  of 
woman,  and  more  conducive  to  the  production  of 
foul  imaginations  in  children,  than  the  free  dis- 
cussion of  such  subjects  as  the  “ Beecher  scandal  ” 
and  like  topics.  The  inquisitive  minds  and  lively 
imaginations  of  childhood  penetrate  the  rotten 
mysteries  of  such  foul  subjects  at  a much  earlier 
age  than  many  persons  imagine.  The  inquiring 
minds  of  children  will  be  occupied  in  some  way, 
and  it  is  of  the  utmost  importance  that  thej^  should 
be  early  filled  with  thoughts  that  will  lead  them 
to  noble  and  pure  actions. 

Teach  Self-Control. — One  important  part  of 
early  training  is  the  cultivation  of  self-control,  and 
a habit  of  self-denial,  whenever  right  demands  it. 
Another  most  essential  part  of  a child’s  moral 
training  is  the  cultivation  of  right  motives.  To 
present  a child  no  higher  motives  for  doing  right 
than  the  hope  of  securing  some  pleasant  reward,  or 
the  fear  of  suffering  some  terrible  punishment,  is 
the  surest  way  to  make  of  him  a supremely  selfish 


312  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Teach  True  Principles.  Impregnable  Virtue. 

man,  with  no  higher  aim  than  to  secure  good  to 
himself,  no  matter  what  may  become  of  other  peo- 
ple. And  if  he  can  convince  himself  that  the 
pleasure  he  will  secure  by  the  commission  of  a cer- 
tain act  will  more  than  counterbalance  the  probable 
risk  of  suffering,  he  will  not  hesitate  to  commit  it, 
leaving  wholly  out  of  the  consideration  the  ques- 
tion, Is  it  right  ? or  noble  ? or  pure  ? A love  of 
right  for  its  own  sake  is  the  only  solid  basis  upon 
which  to  build  a moral  character.  Children  should 
not  be  taught  to  do  right  in  order  to  avoid  a whip- 
ping, or  imprisonment  in  a dark  closet, — a horrid 
kind  of  punishment  sometimes  resorted  to, — or 
even  to  escape  “ the  lake  of  fire  and  brimstone.” 
Neither  should  they  be  constantly  coaxed  to  right- 
doitig  by  promised  rewards, — a new  toy,  a book,  an 
excursion,  nor  even  the  pleasures  of  Heaven.  All 
of  these  incentives  are  selfish,  and  invariably  nar- 
row the  character  and  belittle  life  when  made  the 
clxief  motives  of  action.  But  rather  begin  at  the 
earliest  possible  moment  to  instill  into  the  mind  a 
love  for  right,  and  truth,  and  purity,  and  virtue, 
and  an  abhorrence  for  their  contraries ; then  will 
he  have  a woi  thy  principle  by  which  to  square  his 
life  ; then  will  he  be  safe  from  the  assaults  of  pas- 
sion, of  vice,  of  lust.  A mind  so  trained  stands  up- 
on an  eminence  from  which  all  evil  men  and  devils 
combined  cannot  displace  it  so  long  as  it  adheres  to 
its  noble  principles. 


OLD  A^S'D  TOUNO. 


313 


Mental  Ciiltuve.  Influence  of  the  Study  of  Natijre. 

Mental  Culture. — The  cultivation  of  the  phys- 
ical organization  must  not  he  neglected.  Health- 
ful mental  discipline  should  receive  equal  attention. 
By  healthful  mental  discipline  is  not  meant  that 
kind  of  superficial  “cramming”  and  memorizing 
which  constitute  the  training  of  the  average  school, 
but  sound  culture  ; a directing  of  the  mind  from 
facts  to  underlying  principles ; a development  of 
the  reasoning  powers  so  as  to  bring  the  emotions 
and  passions  into  subjection ; the  acquirement  of 
the  power  to  concentrate  the  mind,  one  of  the 
best  methods  of  cultivating  self-control, — these  are 
some  of  the  objects  and  results  of  sound  culture  of 
the  mind. 

To  supply  the  mind  with  food  for  pure  thoughts, 
the  child  should  be  early  inspired  with  a love  foi' 
nature.  The  perceptives  should  be  trained,  the 
child  taught  to  observe  closely  and  accurately. 
The  study  of  the  natural  sciences  is  a most  val- 
uable means  of  elevating  the  mind  above  grossness 
and  sensuality.  To  be  successful  in  this  direction, 
parents  must  cultivate  a love  for  the  same  objects 
themselves.  Take  the  little  ones  into  the  coun- 
try, if  they  are  not  so  fortunate  as  to  live  there, 
and  in  the  midst  of  nature’s  glories,  point  their 
impressible  minds  upward  to  the  Author  of  all  the 
surrounding  loveliness.  Gather  flowers  and  leaves 
and  call  attention  to  the  peculiarities  and  special 
beauties  of  each,  and  thus  arouse  curiosity  and 
cultivate  habits  of  close  observation  and  attention. 


j 314  PLAIN  FACTS, 

Early  Associations.  Fortify  the  Ulind. 

Early  Associations. — As  children  grow  older, 
j watch  their  associations.  Warn  them  of  evil  in- 
fluences and  evil  pi-actices.  Make  home  so  at- 
tractive that  they  will  enjoy  it  better  than  any 
other  place.  Cultivate  music ; its  mellowing,  har- 
monizing, refining  influence  is  too  great  to  be 
prudently  withheld.  Children  naturally  love  mu- 
.«ic  ; and  if  they  cannot  hear  it  at  home,  they  will 
go  where  they  can  hear  it.  Supply  attractive 

I books  of  natural  history,  travels,  interesting  and 
instructive  biographies,  and  almost  any  other 
books  but  love-sick  novels,  and  sentimental  relig- 
ious story-books.  Guard  against  bad  books  and 
bad  associates  as  carefully  as  though  they  were 
deadly  serpents,  for  they  are,  indeed,  the  artful 
emissaries  of  the  “old  serpent”  himself.  A taste 
once  formed  for  reading  light  literature  destroys 
the  relish  for  solid  reading ; and  usually  the  taste, 
once  lost,  is  never  regained.  The  fascination  of 
bad  companionship  once  formed  around  a person 
is  broken  with  the  greatest  difficulty.  Hence  the 

I necessity  for  watching  for  the  very  beginnings  of 
evil  and  promptly  checking  them. 

The  mind  should  be  thus  fortified  against  the 
trifles  and  follies  of  fashionable  life.  It  should  be 
elevated  into  a sphere  far  above  that  occupied  by 
those  who  pass  their  time  in  fashionable  drawing- 
rooms in  silly  twaddle,  with  thrumming  a piano, 
with  listless  day-dreaming,  or  in  the  gratification 
j of  perverted  tastes  and  depraved  instincts  in  any 
1 other  of  the  ways  common  to  fashionable  life. 


Solitary  Vice^ 


^llF  illicit  commerce  of  the  sexes  is  a heinous 
sin,  self-pollution,  or  masturbation,  is  a crime 
cloubly  abominable.  As  a sin  against  nature,  it  has 
no  parallel  except  in  sodomy  (see  Gen.  19:6,  Judges 
19  : 22).  It  is  the  most  dangerous  of  all  sexual 
abuses,  because  the  most  extensively  practiced.  The 
vice  consists  in  any  excitement  of  the  genital  organs 
produced  otherwise  than  in  the  natural  way.  It  is 
known  by  the  terms,  self-pollution,  self-abuse,  mas- 
turbation, onanism,  manustupration,  voluntary  pol- 
lution, solitary  or  secret  vice,  and  other  names 
sufficiently  explanatory.  The  vice  is  the  more 
extensive  because  there  are  no  bounds  to  its  indul- 
gence. Its  frequent  repetition  fastens  it  upon  the 
victim  with  a fascination  almost  irresistible.  It 
may  be  begun  in  earliest  infancy,  and  may  continue 
through  life. 

Even  though  no  warning  may  have  been  given, 
the  ti'ansgi’essor  seems  to  know,  instinctively,  that 
he  is  committing  a great  wrong,  for  he  carefully 
hides  his  practice  from  observation.  In  solitude  he 
pollutes  himself,  and  with  his  own  hand  blights  all 
his  prospects  for  both  this  world  and  the  next. 
Even  after  being  solemnly  warned,  he  will  often 
continue  this  worse  than  beastly  practice,  deliber- 

315 


TjIG  plain  facts  for 

Alarming  Prevalence  of  the  Vice.  A Secret  Cause  of  Demonilization. 

ately  forfeiting  his  right  to  health  and  haj)piness 
for  a moment’s  mad  sensuality. 

Alarming  Prevalence  of  the  Tice. — The  hahit 
is  hy  no  means  confined  to  hoys ; girls  also  indulge 
in  it,  though,  it  is  to  he  hoped,  to  a less  fearful 
extent  than  boys,  at  least  in  this  country.  A Rus- 
sian physician,  quoted  by  an  eminent  medical  pro- 
fessor in  New  York,  states  that  the  hahit  is  uni- 
versal among  girls  in  Russia.  It  seems  impossible 
that  such  a statement  should  he  credible  ; and  j’^et 
we  have  not  seen  it  contradicted.  It  is  more  than 
probable  that  the  practice  is  far  more  nearly  uni- 
versal everyAvhere  than  even  medical  men  are 
willing  to  admit.  Many  young  men  who  have 
been  addicted  to  the  vice,  have,  in  their  confes- 
sions, declared  that  they  found  it  universal  in  the 
schools  in  which  they  learned  the  practice. 

Dr.  Gardner  speaks  of  it  as  “ the  secret  cause  of 
much  that  is  perverting  the  energies  and  demoral- 
izing the  minds  of  many  of  our  fairest  and  best.” 
He  further  says : — 

“ Much  of  the  worthlessness,  lassitude,  and  phys- 
ical and  mental  feebleness  attributable  to  the  mod- 
ern Avoman  are  to  he  ascribed  to  these  habits  as 
j their  initial  cause.”  “Foreignei’s  are  especially 
struck  Avith  this  fact  as  the  cause  of  much  of  the 
physical  disease  of  our  young  women.  They  rec- 
ognize it  in  the  physique,  in  the  sodden,  colorless 
countenance,  the  lack-luster  eye,  in  the  dreamy 
indolence,  the  general  carriage,  the  constant  de- 

W 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOB 


,S18 

Testimony  of  Adam  Clarke.  An  Unsuspected  Cause  of  Disease. 

destructive  evils  ever  practiced  by  fallen  man.  In 
many  respects  it  is  several  degrees  worse  than 
common  whoredom,  and  has  in  its  train  more 
awful  consequences,  though  practiced  by  numbers 
who  would  shudder  at  the  thought  of  criminal 
connection  with  a prostitute.”  * 

“ However  revolting  to  the  feelings  it  may  be  to 
enter  upon  such  a subject,  it  cannot  be  passed  over 
in  silence  without  a great  violation  of  duty.  Un- 
liappily,  it  has  not  been  hitherto  exhibited  in  the 
awful  light  in  which  it  deserves  to  be  shown. 
The  worst  of  it  is  that  it  is  seldom  suspected. 

’ There  are  many  pale  faces  and  languid  and  nerv- 
ous feelings  attributed  to  other  causes,  when  all 
the  mischief  lies  here.”  f 

We  scarcely  need  add  further  eHdence  of  the 
fearful  extent  of  this  evil,  but  will  conclude  with 
the  following : — 

“ The  pernicious  and  debasing  practice  of  mas- 
turbation is  a more  common  and  extensive  evil 
with  youth  of  both  sexes  than  is  usually  sup- 
posed.” “ A great  number  of  the  evils  which  come 
upon  the  youth  at  and  after  the  age  of  puberty, 
arise  from  masturbation,  persisted  in,  so  as  to 
waste  the  vital  energies  and  enervate  the  physical 
and  mental  powers  of  man.”  “ Manj’-  of  the  weak- 
nesses commonly  attributed  to  growth  and  the 
changes  in  the  habit  by  the  important  .transforma- 


■»Dr.  Adam  Clarke. 


t Sir  W.  C.  Ellis. 


OLD  AND  TO  UNO. 


319 


Not  a Modern  Vice.  Unsuspected  Rottenness. 

tion  from  adolescence  to  manhood,  are  justly  refer- 
able to  this  practice.”  * 

Not  a Modern  Yice. — That  this  vice  is  not  en- 
tirely a modern  one  is  proved  by  the  fact  that  in 
many  ancient  writings  directions  are  given  for 
treating  its  effects.  Even  Moses  seems  to  have 
recognized  disorders  of  this  class.  Hippocrates 
and  others  devoted  considerable  attention  to  them. 

Victims  of  all  Ages. — The  ages  at  which  the 
habit  may  be  practiced  include  almost  the  whole 
extent  of  human  life.  We  have  seen  it  in  infants 
of  only  three  or  four  years,  and  in  old  men  scarcely 
less  than  sixty,  in  both  extremes  marked  by  the 
most  unmistakable  and  lamentable  consequences. 
Cases  have  been  noted  in  which  the  practice  was 
begun  as  early  as  two  years  of  age.  It  is  common 
among  African  boys  at  nine  and  ten  years  of  age, 
according  to  Dr.  Copland. 

Uususpected  Kottenness. — Parents  who  have 
no  suspicion  of  the  evil,  who  think  their  children 
the  embodiment  of  purity,  will  find  by  careful  ob- 
servation and  inquiry, — though  personal  testimony 
cannot  be  relied  upon, — that  in  numerous  instances 
their  supposed  virtuous  children  are  old  in  corrup- 
tion. Such  a revelation  has  brought  dismay  into 
many  a family,  only  too  late  in  some  cases. 

Not  long  since  a case  came  under  our  care  which 
well  illustrates  the  apathy  and  blindness  of  parents 
with  respect  to  this  subject.  The  parents  of  a 

* Boston  Medical  and  Surgical  Journal. 


S20 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 


A Marked  Case.  The  “Human  Form  Divine”  Debased. 

young  man  whose  mind  seemed  to  be  somewhat 
disordered,  sent  word  to  us  through  a friend  re- 
specting his  condition,  asking  advice.  We  sus- 
pected from  the  symptoms  described  the  real  cause 
of  the  disease,  and  urged  prompt  attention  to  the 
case.  In  a short  time  the  young  man  was  placed 
under  our  immediate  care  without  encouragement 
of  a cure,  and  we  gave  the  case  still  closer  study. 
The  characteristic  symptoms  of  disease  from  self- 
abuse were  marked,  but  the  father  was  positive 
that  no  influence  of  that  kind  could  have  been  at 
work.  He  had  watched  his  son  narrowly  from  in- 
fancy, and  did  not  believe  it  possible  for  him  to 
have  been  guilty.  In  addition,  the  young  man 
had  long  been  remarkable  for  his  piety,  and  he  did 
not  believe  there  could  be  any  possibility  of  his  be- 
ing guilty  of  so  gross  a crime. 

A short  time  sufiiced,  however,  to  secure  the  in- 
disputable evidence  of  the  fact  by  his  being  caught 
in  the  act  by  his  nurse. 

This  young  man  was  a sad  example  of  what 
havoc  is  made  with  the  “human  form  divine”  by 
this  debasing  vice.  Once  a bright  boy,  kind,  afiec- 
tionate,  active,  intelligent,  the  pride  of  a loving 
mother  and  the  hope  of  a doting  father,  his  mind 
had  sunken  to  driveling  idiocy.  His  vacant  stare 
and  expressionless  countenance  betokened  almost 
complete  imbecility.  If  allowed  to  do  so,  he  would 
remain  for  hours  in  whatever  position  his  last 
movement  left  him.  If  his  hand  was  raised,  it  re- 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


821 

The  Awful  End.  Causes  of  the  Habit. 

mained  extended  until  placed  in  a position  of  rest 
by  his  attendant.  ’ Only  with  the  utmost  difficulty 
could  he  be  made  to  rise  in  the  morning,  to  eat, 
drink,  or  walk.  Only  by  great  efforts  could  he  be 
aroused  from  his  lethargy  sufficiently  to  answer 
the  most  simple  question.  The  instinctive  de- 
mands of  decency  in  regarding  the  calls  of  nature 
were  not  respected.  In  short,  the  distinguishing 
characteristics  of  a human  being  were  almost  whol- 
ly obliterated,  leaving  but  a physical  semblance  of 
humanity ; a mind  completely  wrecked,  a body 
undergoing  dissolution  while  yet  alive,  a blasted 
life,  no  hope  for  this  world,  no  prospect  for  the 
next.  In  the  insane  asylums  of  the  country  may 
be  seen  hundreds  of  these  poor  victims  in  all  stages 
of  physical  and  mental  demoralization. 

Causes  of  the  Habit. — It  is  needless  to  reca- 
pitulate all  the  causes  of  unchastity  which  have 
previously  been  quite  fully  dwelt  upon,  nearly  all 
of  which  are  predisposing  or  exciting  causes  of 
solitary  as  well  as  of  social  vice.  Sexual  precoc- 
ity, idleness,  pernicious  literature,  abnormal  sexual 
passions,  exciting  and  irritating  food,  gluttony, 
sedentary  employment,  libidinous  pictures,  and 
many  abnormal  conditions  of  life,  are  potent 
causes  in  exciting  the  vile  practice ; but  by  far 
the  most  frequent  causes  are  evil  associations, 
wicked  or  ignorant  nurses,  and  local  disease,  or 
abnormality.  These  latter  we  will  consider  more 
particularly,  as  they  have  not  been  so  fully  dwelt 
upon  elsewhere. 

21 


322 


PLAIN  PACTS  FOP,. 


Evil  AssociatioDS.  Dangers  at  Schools. 

Evil  Associations.— A child  may  have  been 
reared  with  the  greatest  care.  From  infancy  he 
may  have  been  carefully  shielded  from  all  perni- 
cious influences,  so  that  at  the  age  of  ten  or  twelve, 
when  he  is  for  the  first  time  sent  away  to  school, 
he  may  be  free  from  vice ; but  when  he  associates 
with  his  fellow-students,  he  soon  finds  them  prac- 
ticing a habit  new  to  him,  and  being  unwarned,  he 
speedily  follows  their  filthy  example  and  quickly 
becomes  fascinated  with  the  vice.  Thousands  have 
taken  their  first  lessons  in  this  debasing  habit  at 
school.  Teachers  and  scholars  testify  that  it  is 
often  practiced  even  in  school  hours,  almost  under 
the  teacher’s  eyes ; but  where  the  infection  most 
quickly  spreads  is  in  the  sleeping  apartments,  where 
more  than  one  occupy  the  same  bed,  or  where  sev- 
eral sleep'  in  the  same  room. 

Nothing  is  more  indispensable  to  purity  of  body 
and  of  morals  than  a private  sleeping  room  and 
single  bed  for  each  student.  Such  an  arrangement 
would  protect  the  youth  from  the  reception  of 
much  evil,  and  would  allow  an  opportunity  for 
privacy  which  every  young  man  or  youth  needs  for 
his  spiritual  as  well  as  physical  benefit.  Not  the 
least  benefit  of  the  latter  class  is  the  opportunity 
for  a thorough  cleansing  of  the  whole  body  every 
morning,  which  is  almost  as  indispensable  to  purity 
of  morals  as  cleanliness  of  body.  The  same  sugges- 
tion is  fully  as  applicable  to  the  sleeping  arrange- 
ments of  girls.  The  exceptional  cases  in  which 
this  plan  would  not  be  the  best  are  very  few  indeed. 


OLD  AND  rOUNQ. 


323 


Cornivitiun  in  Schools.  The  Foe  of  Genius. 

Corruption  in  Schools. — Says  Dr.  Acton,  “I 
cannot  venture  to  print  the  accounts  patients  have 
given  me  of  what  they  have  seen  or  even  been 
drawn  into  at  schools.  I would  fain  hope  that  such 
abominations  are  things  of  the  past.”  The  entrance 
of  a single  corrupt  boy  into  a school  which  may 
hav-e  been  previously  pure — though  such  schools 
must  be  extremely  rare — will  speedily  corrupt 
almost  the  entire  membership.  The  evil  infection 
spreads  more  rapidly  than  the  contagion  of  small- 
pox or  yellow  fever,  and  it  is  scarcely  less  fatal. 

' This  danger  exists  not  in  public  or  city  schools 
alone,  but  in  the  most  select  and  private  schools. 
A father  who  had  kept  his  two  sons  under  the  care 
of  a private  governess  for  several  years,  and  then 
placed  them  in  a small  school  taught  by  a lady,  and 
composed  of  a few  small  children  from  the  most 
select  families,  was  greatly  astonished  when  in- 
formed by  a physician  that  his  sons  showed  symp- 
toms of  the  effects  of  self-abuse.  He  was  totally 
incredulous;  but  an  investigation  showed  that  they 
had  already  practiced  the  vile  habit  for  several 
years,  having  learned  it  of  an  infantile  school-mate. 

We  were  acquainted  with  one  instance  in  which 
a primary  school  in  a secluded  and  select  commu- 
nity was  nearly  broken  up  by  the  introduction  of 
this  vile  habit  through  a corrupt  student.  Many  a 
watchful  teacher  has  seen  the  light  of  growing 
intelligence  suddenly  dim  and  wane  in  the  eye  of 
his  favorite  student  just  when  he  was  giving  the 


324 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOB 


Wicked  Kurses.  Not  an  Uncommon  Case. 

most  promise  of  developing  unusual  talents  in  lit- 
erature, mathematics,  or  some  one  of  the  natural  or 
physical  sciences,  and  has  been  compelled  to  watch 
the  devastating  influence  of  this  deadly  upas  tree 
that  often  claims  the  best  and  fairest  human  flow- 
ers as  its  victims. 

TVicked  Nurses. — In  those  cases  in  which  the 
habit  is  acquired  at  a very  early  age,  the  work  of 
evil  is  usually  wi’ought  by  the  nume,  perhaps 
through  ignorance  of  the  efiects  of  the  habit.  In- 
credible  as  it  seems,  it  is  proved  by  numerous 
instances  that  it  is  not  an  uncommon  habit  for 
nurses  to  quiet  small  children  by  handling  or  tit- 
illating their  genital  organs.  They  find  this  a 
speedy  means  of  quieting  them,  and  resort  to  it 
regardless  or  ignoi'ant  of  the  consequences. 

Not  an  Uncommon  Case. — Prof.  Lusk,  of  Belle- 
vue Hospital  College,  New  York,  related  to  his 
medical  class  in  our  hearing  a case  which  came 
under  his  observation  in  which  all  of  the  children 
in  a large  family  had  been  taught  the  habit  by  a 
wicked  nurse  for  the  purpose  of  keeping  them 
quiet  after  they  were  put  to  bed.  The  vileness 
that  wmuld  lead  a person  to  thus  rob  childhood  of 
its  innocence,  and  blast  its  prospects  for  this  life 
and  the  next,  is  base  enough  for  the  commission  of 
almost  any  crime.  Indeed,  the  crime  could  hardly 
have  been  a worse  one  had  the  nurse  referred  to  in 
the  above  case  in  cold  blood  cut  the  throats  of 
those  innocent  children ; perhaps  it  might  have 
been  better  for  the  children. 


* 

OLD  AND  TOVNG.  325 

Dangerous  Nurses.  “Hired  lilan.”  “Hired  Girl.” 

A gentleman  once  declared  that  if  he  should 
detect  a person  teaching  this  crime  to  his  child  he 
would  shoot  him  on  the  spot ; and  if  homicide  is 
allowable  under  any  circumstances,  it  seems  to  us 
it  would  be  extenuated  by  such  an  aggravation. 
If  occasional  bad  associations  will  work  an  im- 
mense damage  to  the  youthful  character,  what 
terrible  injury  may  be  wrought  by  an  agent  of 
sin,  an  instructor  in  vice,  who  is  within  the  house- 
hold, who  presides  in  the  nursery,  and  exerts  a 
constant  influence ! No  one  can  estimate  it. 

Acton  remarks  on  this  point,  “ I need  hardly 
point  out  how  very  dangerous  this  is.  There 
seems  hardly  any  limit  to  the  age  at  which  a 
young  child  can  be  initiated  into  these  abomina- 
tions, or  to  the  depth  of  degradation  to  which  it 
may  fall  under  such  hideous  teaching.  Books 
treating  of  this  subject  are  unfortunately  too  full 
of  accounts  of  the  habits  of  such  children.” 

In  not  a few  instances  the  “hired  man”  has 
been  the  means  of  communicating  to  innocent 
little  boys  the  infamous  knowledge  which,  fortu- 
nately, they  had  not  acquired  in  babyhood.  With 
no  knowledge  of  the  evil  they  are  committing, 
they  begin  the  work  of  physical  damnation  which 
makes  a hell  of  life  and  leads  to  endless  death. 

The  “ hired  girl  ” is  often  an  equally  efiicient 
agent  for  evil  in  the  instruction  of  little  girls  in 
this  debasing  vice.  Some  time  ago,  the  very  intel- 
ligent parents  of  a bright  family  of  children  were 


,S26  FLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

A Young  Victim  Saved.  Tbe  Instructor  ia  Vice. 

awakened  to  the  importance  of  this  subject  from 
the  perusal  of  the  first  edition  of  this  work,  and 
upon  investigation  were  horrified  to  find  that  theii- 
oldest  child  a promising  daughter  of  ten,  was  al- 
ready a victim  to  the  vile  practice,  having  been 
initiated  by  a “hired  girl.”  After  using  in  vain 
every  means  he  could  bring  to  bear  upon  the 
case,  the  father  brought  her  to  us,  and  with  tears 
in  his  eyes  gave  his  story.  After  telling  of  his 
unsuccessful  attempts  to  effect  a reform,  he  de- 
clared that  he  would  far  prefer  to  place  his  daugh- 
ter in  the  grave  than  to  see  her  grow  up  a wretch- 
ed victim  of  this  vice.  We  were  most  happy  to 
be  able,  after  a few  weeks’  treatment,  to  restore 
her  to  her  parents,  as  we  hope,  permanently  re- 
formed. Not  a few  such  cases  are  constantly  com- 
ing to  the  attention  of  the  medical  profession. 

The  Instructor  in  Vice. — Are  these  lines  pe- 
rused by  any  one  who  has  ever  taught  another  this 
vice  so  vile,  and  so  certainly  followed  by  penalties 
so  terrible — penalties  not  upon  the  instigator  but 
upon  the  hapless  victim  ? let  such  a person  clothe 
himself  in  sackcloth  and  ashes,  and  do  penance  for 
the  remainder  of  his  life.  The  onN  way  in  which 
he  can  hope  to  atone  even  in  some  small  degree  for 
such  a heinous  crime,  is  b}’'  doing  all  in  his  power 
to  warn  those  in  danger  against  this  sin.  Ulien 
all  men  receive  their  just  deserts,  what  ^vill  be  the 
punishment  of  such  a one  who  has  not,  by  thorough 
repentance  and  a life  spent  in  trying  to  undo  the 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


327 


Local  Disease.  Aiti  IllustratiT®  Case. 

work  of  ruin  so  foully  wrought,  in  some  measure 
disburdened  himself  of  the  consequences  of  his  act ! 

Sending  children  very  early  to  bed  before  they 
are  weary,  “ to  get  them  out  of  the  way,”  or  for 
punishment,  is  a grave  error,  as  this  may  give  rise 
to  the  vice.  Confining  children  alone  in  a room  by 
themselves  is  an  equally  reprehensible  practice,  as 
it  favors  the  commission  of  the  act,  at  least,  and 
may  afford  a favorable  opportunity  for  its  discov- 
ery. Allowing  children  to  form  a habit  of  seeking 
solitude  is  an  evil  of  the  same  nature. 

Local  Disease. — In  the  male,  a tight  or  long 
foreskin  is  a frequent  cause  of  the  habit.  The 
constant  contact  of  the  prepuce  with  the  most  sen- 
sitive part  of  the  organ  increases  its  sensibility. 
The  secretion  is  retained,  and  accumulates,  often 
becoming  hardened.  In  this  manner  irritation  is 
set  up,  which  occasions  uncomfortable  feelings,  and 
attracts  the  hands  to  the  part.  Owing  to  the  great 
degree  of  excitement  due  to  irritation,  but  a slight 
provocation  is  necessary  to  arouse  voluptuous  sen- 
sations, and  then  the  terrible  secret  is  revealed. 
The  child  readily  discovers  how  to  reproduce  the 
same,  and  is  not  slow  to  commit  a frequent  repeti- 
tion of  the  act ; and  thus  the  habit  is  formed. 

An  Illustrative  Case. — A case  in  which  the 
vice  originated  in  this  manner  was  recently  under 
our  observation.  The  patient  was  a man  of  con- 
siderable intellectual  power  and  some  culture,  but 
showed  unmistakable  signs  of  his  early  indiscre- 


328  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

An  Organic  Cause  of  the  Habit.  Difficulty  of  Beform. 

tion.  He  stated  that  although  he  mingled  quite 
freely  -with  other  boys  of  his  age,  he  obtained  no 
knowledge  of  the  habit  from  others.  He  often 
heard  allusions  which  he  did  not  understand,  and 
of  which  he  did  not,  fortunately,  discover  the 
meaning.  But  he  was  afflicted  with  congenital 
'phimosis,  the  prepuce  being  so  tight  that  retraction 
was  impossible.  This,  together  with  urinal  irrita- 
tion,— which  occasioned  nocturnal  incontinence  of 
urine, — constipation,  and  highly  seasoned  food,  pro- 
duced so  much  local  irritation  as  to  occasion  fre- 
quent erections,  and  an  increased  secretion.  He 
soon  noticed  that  there  was  an  accumulation  of 
hardened  secretion  beneath  the  foreskin,  and  in  at- 
tempting to  remove  this,  he  accidentally  provoked 
voluptuous  sensations.  He  speedily  abandoned 
himself  to  the  habit,  often  repeating  it  several 
times  a day.  Beginning  at  the  age  of  twelve 
years,  he  continued  it  for  three  or  four  years. 

Soon  after  acquiring  the  habit,  he  became  aware 
of  its  tendencies,  through  reading  books  upon  the 
subject,  but  he  found  himself  so  completely  en- 
slaved that  abstinence  seemed  impossible.  One 
resolution  to  reform  after  another  was  formed,  only, 
to  be  speedily  broken.  His  imwholesome  diet, 
habitual  constipation,  and  especially  the  unfortu- 
nate organic  difficulty  .in  his  genital  organs,  pro- 
duced an  almost  constant  priapism,  which  was  only 
relieved,  and  then  but  temporarily,  by  the  act  of 
pollution.  His  sedentary  habits  increased  the  dif- 
ficulty to  an  extreme  degree. 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 

A Final  Victory,  Other  Physical  Causes. 

In  the  meantime,  his  constitution,  naturally 
weak,  was  being  gradually  undermined.  He  suf- 
fered from  constant  headache,  heart-burn,  pains  in 
the  back  and  limbs,  weakness,  and  lassitude.  Yet 
he  attributed  none  of  these  ailments  to  the  true 
cause.  After  the  lapse  of  three  or  four  years  thus 
spent,  and  after  repeated  ineffectual  attempts,  by  a 
powerful  effort  of  the  will,  by  the  aid  of  prayer, 
and  by  adopting  a more  wholesome  diet,  he  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  the  mastery  of  his  vice.  But  the 
local  difficulties  still  continued  in  a great  degree, 
and  under  particularly  aggravating  circumstances 
occasioned  a relapse  at  long  intervals.  After  a 
time,  the  local  difficulties  grew  less  and  less,  and 
enabled  him  to  gain  a complete  victory  over  the 
habit,  though  the  results  of  previous  sin  still  re- 
mained, for  which  he  desired  treatment. 

This  case  wiU  serve  as  a fair  illustration  of 
many  of  similar  character,  in  which  the  child  acci- 
dentally makes  the  discovery  which  leads  him  to 
work  his  own  ruin. 

Other  Physical  Causes. — Constipation,  piles, 
irritable  bladder,  fissure  of  the  anus,  local  unclean- 
liness, and  pruritis  of  the  genital  organs,  will  pro- 
duce the  habit  in  both  males  and  females  in  the 
manner  described.  Sleeping  on  feather  beds  in- 
creases the  local  congestion,  and  thus  favors  the 
exciting  influences  of  any  of  the  above-named 
causes.  It  may,  perhaps,  itself  be  the  exciting 
cause. 


330  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Singular  Causes.  Influence  of  Stimulants. 

Vv  e once  treated  a patient  who  was  affected 
with  stone  in  the  bladder,  and  who  asserted  that 
the  constant  irritation  which  he  suffered  in  the  end 
of  the  penis  was  only  relieved  by  friction.  This 
might  readily  be  the  cause  of  masturbation,  though 
in  this  case  the  vice  had  been  acquired  many  years 
before,  and  was  still  continued  in  spite  of  all  efforts 
to  reform. 

Lying  upon  the  back  or  upon  the  abdomen  fre- 
quently leads  to  self-abuse  by  provoking  sexual 
excitement.  Certain  kinds  of  exercises,  as  climb- 
ing, in  particular,  have  been  attended  by  the  same 
results.  It  is  said  that  children  sometimes  expe- 
rience genital  excitement  amounting  to  pleasure  as 
the  result  of  whipping. 

lufluence  of  Stimulants. — The  use  of  stimu- 
lants of  any  kind  is  a fruitful  cause  of  the  ^dce. 
Tea  and  coffee  have  led  thousands  to  perdition  in 
this  way.  The  influence  of  tobacco  is  so  strongly 
shown  in  this  direction  that  it  is  doubtful  if  there 
can  be  found  a boy  who  has  attained  the  age  of 
puberty  and  has  acquired  the  habit  of  using  to- 
bacco, who  is  not  also  addicted  to  this  vile  practice. 
Candies,  spices,  cinnamon,  cloves,  peppermint,  and 
aU  strong  essences,  powerfully  excite  the  genital 
organs  and  lead  to  the  same  result. 

It  should  be  further  added  that  there  is  evidence 
that  a powerful  predisposition  to  this  vice  is  trans- 
mitted to  the  children  of  those  who  have  them- 
selves been  guilty  of  it. 


OLD  a:^b  young,  331 

Signs  of  Self-Abuse.  Two  Classes  of  Signs. 

Signs  of  Self- Abuse. — The  net  which  this  vice 
weaves  around  its  victims  is  so  strong,  and  its  ' 
meshes  are  so  elaborately  interwoven  with  all  his 
thoughts,  his  habits,  and  his  very  being,  when  it 
has  been  long  indulged,  that  it  is  important  to  be 
able  to  detect  it  when  first  acquired,  as  it  may 
then  be  much  more  easily  overcome  than  at  any 
subsequent  period.  It  is  often  no  easy  matter  to 
do  this,  as  the  victim  will  resort  to  all  manner  of  ! 

cunning  devices  to  hide  his  vice,  and  will  not  scru- 
ple to  falsify  concerning  it,  when  questioned.  To  I 

be  able  to  accomplish  this  successfully,  requires  a I 

careful  study,  first,  of  the  signs  by  which  those 
who  indulge  in  the  practice  may  be  known,  and,  j 

secondly,  of  the  habits  of  the  individuals. 

In  considering  the  subject  it  will  be  found  that 
there  are  two  classes  of  signs,  as  follows : — ! 

1.  Those  which  may  arouse  suspicion,  but  any  i 

one  of  which,  taken  singly,  would  not  be  an  evi-  ! 

dence  of  the  practice. 

2.  Those  which  may  be  regarded  as  positive. 

Several  suspicious  signs  together  may  constitute  a 
positive  sign.  Under  these  two  heads,  we  will 
consider  the  signs  of  this  vile  habit. 

It  is  well  to  bear  in  mind  the  fact  that  one  or 
two  suspicious  signs  are  not  evidence  of  the  dis- 
ease. It  is  likewise  well  to  remember  that  the  | 

habit  may  be  found  where  least  looked  for,  and 
where  one  would  have  a right  to  expect  perfect 
purity.  Prejudice  must  be  allowed  no  voice  upon 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 


r,32 


Suspicious  Signs.  General  Debility. 

either  side.  A writer  has  said  that  every  young- 
person  under  puberty  ought  to  he  suspected  of  the 
disease.  We  can  hardly  indorse  this  remark,  in 
full,  but  it  would  be  at  least  -wise  for  every  guar- 
dian of  children  to  criticize  most  carefully  their 
liabits  and  to  quickly  detect  the  first  indications 
of  sinful  practices.  Parents  must  not  think  that 
their  children,  at  least,  are  too  good  to  engage  in 
such  sinful  abuses.  It  is  most  probable  that  their 
children  ai*e  very  like  those  of  their  neighbors  ; 
and  any  amount  of  natural  goodness  is  not  a pro- 
tection against  this  insidious  vice  when  it  presents 
itself  as  a harmless  pleasure  to  the  unwarned 
and  ignorant  child. 

Suspicious  Signs. — The  following  symptoms, 
occurring  in  the  mental  and  physical  character  and 
habits  of  a child  or  young  person,  may  well  give 
lise  to  grave  suspicions  of  evil,  and  should  cause 
parents  or  guardians  to  be  on  the  alert  to  root  it 
out  if  possible ; — 

1.  General  dehility,  coming  upon  a pi’eviously 
healthy  child,  marked  by  emaciation,  weakness,  an 
unnatural  paleness,  colorless  lips  and  gums,  and 
the  general  symptoms  of  exhaustion,  when  it  can- 
not be  traced  to  any  other  legitimate  cau3«,  as  in- 
ternal disease,  worms,  grief,  overwork,  poor  air  or 
poor  food,  and  when  it  is  not  speedily  removed 
by  change  of  air  or  appropriate  remedial  measures, 
may  safely  be  attributed  to  solitary  vice,  no  mat- 
ter how  far  above  natural  suspicion  the  individual 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


Ecirly  Symptoms  of  Consumption.  Defective  Development. 

may  be.  Mistakes  will  be  rare  indeed  when  such 
a judgment  is  pronounced  under  the  circumstances 
named. 

2.  Early  symptoms  of  consumption — or  what 
are  supposed  to  be  such — as  cough,  and  decrease  in 
flesh,  with  short  breathing  and  soreness  of  the 
lungs — or  muscles  of  the  chest — are,  not  infre- 
quently, solely  the  result  of  this  vice.  That  such 
is  the  case  may'  be  considered  pietty  surely  de- 
termined if  physical  examination  of  the  lungs 
reveals  no  organic  disease  of  those  organs.  But  it 
should  be  remembered  that  solitary  vice  is  one  of 
the  most  frequent  causes  of  early  consumption. 
Several  cases  which  strikingly  prove  this  have 
fallen  under  our  own  observation. 

3.  Premature  and  defective  development  is  a 
symptom  closely  allied  to  the  two  preceding. 
When  it  cannot  be  traced  to  such  natural  causes 
as  overstudy,  overwork,  lack  of  exercise,  and  other 
influences  of  a similar  nature,  it  should  be  charged 
to  self-abuse.  The  early  exercise  of  the  gen- 
ital organs  hastens  the  attainment  of  puberty,  in 
many  cases,  especially  when  the  habit  is  acquired 
early,  but  at  the  same  time  saps  the  vital  energies 
so  that  the  system  is  unable  to  manifest  that  in- 
creased energy  in  growth  and  development  which 
usually  occurs  at  this  period.  In  consequence,  the 
body  remains  small,  or  does  not  attain  that  devel- 
opment which  it  otherwise  would.  The  mind  is 
dwarfed  as  well  as  the  body.  Sometimes  the 


334 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 


Dwarfing  Influence  of  the  Vice.  Sudden  Change  in  Disposition. 

mind  suffers  more  than  the  body  in  lack  of  devel- 
opment, and  sometimes  the  reverse  is  true.  This 
defective  development  is  shov^n,  in  the  physical  or- 
ganization of  males,  in  the  failure  of  the  voice  to 
inerease  in  volume  and  depth  of  tone  as  it  should ; 
in  deficient  growth  of  the  beard ; in  failure  of  the 
chest  to  become  full  and  the  shoulders  broad.  The 
mind  and  character  show  the  dwai-fing  influence 
by  failure  to  develop  those  qualities  which  es- 
pecially distinguish  a noble  manhood.  In  the 
female,  defective  development  is  shown  by  men- 
strual derangements,  by  defective  growth  either  in 
stature,  or  as  shown  in  unnatural  slimness,  and  in 
a failure  to  develop  the  graces  and  pleasing  char- 
acter which  should  distinguish  early  womanhood. 
Such  signs  deserve  careful  investigation,  for  they 
can  only  result  from  some  powerfully  blighting 
influence. 

4.  Sudden  change  in  disposition  is  a sign  which 
may  well  arouse  suspicion.  If  a boy  who  has  pre- 
viously been  cheerful,  pleasant,  dutiful,  and  gentle, 
suddenly  becomes  morose,  cross,  peevish,  irritable, 
and  disobedient,  be  sure  that  some  foul  influence 
is  at  work  with  him.  When  a girl,  naturally  joy- 
ous, happy,  couifiding,  and  amiable,  becomes  unac- 
countably gloomy,  sad,  fretfuh  dissatisfied,  and 
unconfiding,  be  certain  that  a blight  of  no  insig- 
nificant character  is  resting  upon  her.  Make  a 
careful  study  of  the  habits  of  such  children ; and 
if  there  is  no  sudden  illness  to  account  for  the 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


335 


Lassitude.  Sleeplessness.  Failure  of  Ment<al  Capacity. 

change  in  their  character,  it  need  not  require  long 
deliberation  to  arrive  at  the  true  cause,  for  it  will 
rarely  be  found  to  be  anything  other  than  solitary 
indulgence. 

5.  Lassitude  is  as  unnatural  for  a child  as  for  a 
young  kitten.  A healthy  child  will  he  active, 
playful,  full  of  life  and  animal  spirits.  If  a young 
child  manifests  indisposition  to  activity,  a dislike 
for  play,  lifelessness  and  languor,  suspect  his  hab- 
its, if  there  is  no  other  reasonable  cause  to  which 
to  attribute  his  unnatural  want  of  childish  spright- 
liness. 

6.  In  connection  with  the  preceding  symptom 
will  generally  be  found,  instead  of  that  natural 
brilliance  of  expression  in  the  eyes'  and  counte- 
nance, an  unnatural  dullness  and  vacantness  alto- 
gether foreign  to  childhood.  This  is  a just  ground* 
for  suspicion. 

7.  Sleeplessness  is  another  symptom  of  signi'fi- 
cance.  Soimd  sleep  is  natural  for  childhood ; and 
if  sleeplessness  be  not  occasioned  by  dietetic  errors, 
as  eating  indigestible  food,  eating  between  meals, 
or  eating  late  suppers,  it  may  justly  be  a cause  for 
suspicion  of  evil  habits. 

8.  Failure  of  mental  capacity  without  apparent 
cause  should  occasion  suspicion  of  evil  practices. 
When  a child  who  has  previously  learned  readily, 
mastered  his  lessons  easily,  and  possessed  a reten- 
tive memory,  shows  a manifest  decline  in  these 
directions,  fails  to  get  his  lessons,  becomes  stupid. 


336  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Fickleness.  Love  of  Solitude.  Bashfulness. 

forgetful,  and  inattentive,  he  has  probably  become 
the  victim  of  a terrible  vice,  and  is  on  the  road  to 
speedy  mental  as  well  as  physical  ruin.  Watch 
him. 

9.  Fickleness  is  another  evidence  of  the  workinor 

o 

of  some  deteriorating  influence,  for  only  a weak 
mind  is  fickle. 

10.  Untrustworthiness  appearing  in  a child 
should  attract  attention  to  his  habits.  If  he  has 
suddenly  become  heedless,  listless,  and  forgetful,  so 
that  he  cannot  be  depended  upon,  though  pre- 
viously not  so,  lay  the  blame  upon  solitary  in- 
dulgence. This  vice  has  a wonderful  influence  in 
developing  untruthfulness.  A child  previously 
honest,  under  its  baneful  influence  will  soon  be- 
come an  inveterate  liar. 

11.  Love  of  solitude  is  a very  suspicious  sign. 
Children  are  naturally  sociable,  almost  without 
exception.  They  have  a natural  dread  of  being 
alone.  When  a child  habitually  seeks  seclusion 
without  a sufiicient  cause,  there  are  good  grounds 
for  suspecting  him  of  sinful  habits.  The  bam,  the 
garret,  the  water-closet,  and  sometimes  secluded 
places  in  the  woods,  are  the  favorite  resorts  of 
masturbators.  They  should  be  carefully  followed 
and  watched,  unobserved. 

12.  Bashfulness  is  not  infrequently  dependent 
upon  this  cause.  It  would  be  far  from  right  to 
say  that  every  person  who  is  excessively  modest 
or  timid  is  a masturbator;  but  there  is  a certain 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


837 


Unnatural  Boldness.  Mental  Vacuity. 

timorousness  which  seems  to  arise  from  a sense  of 
shame  or  fear  of  discovery  that  many  victims  of 
this  vice  exhibit,  and  which  may  be  distinguished 
from  natural  modesty  by  a little  experience.  One 
very  common  mode  of  manifestation  of  this  timid- 
ity is  the  inability  to  look  a superior,  or  any 
person  who  is  esteemed  pure,  in  the  eye.  If 
spoken  to,  instead  of  looking  directly  at  the  per- 
son to  whom  he  addresses  an  answer,  the  mastur- 
bator looks  to  one  side,  or  lets  his  eyes  fall  upon 
the  ground,  seemingly  conscious  that  the  eye  is  a 
wonderful  tell-tale  of  the  secrets  of  the  mind. 

13.  Unnatural  boldness,  in  marked  contrast 
with  the  preceding  sign,  is  manifested  by  a certain 
class  of  victims.  It  can  be  as  easily  distinguished, 
however,  as  unnatural  timidity.  The  individual 
seems  to  have  not  the  slightest  appreciation  of 
propriety.  He  commits  openly  the  most  uncouth 
acts,  if  he  does  not  manifest  the  most  indecent 
unchastity  of  manner.  When  spoken  to,  he  stares 
rudely  at  the  person  addressing  him,  often  with  a 
very  unpleasant  leer  upon  his  countenance.  In 
some  few  cases  there  seems  to  be  a curious  com- 
bination of  conditions.  While  mentally  fearful, 
timid,  and  hesitating,  the  individual  finds  himself, 
upon  addressing  a person,  staring  at  him  in  the 
most  ungainly  manner.  He  is  conscious  of  his  ill 
manners,  but  is  powerless  to  control  himself.  This 
sign  is  one  which  could  hardly  be  of  use  to  any 
except  a very  close  observer,  however,  as  few  can 


338 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 


Mock  Piety.  Easily  Frightened.  Confusion  of  Ideas. 

read  upon  the  countenance  the  operations  of  the 
mind. 

14.  Mock  piety — or  perhaps  we  should  more 
properly  designate  it  as  mistaken  piety — is  an- 
other peculiar  manifestation  of  the  effects  of  this  vi- 
cious practice.  The  victim  is  observed  to  become 
transformed,  by  degrees,  from  a romping,  laugh- 
ing child,  full  of  hilarity  and  frolic,  to  a sober  and 

very  sedate  little Christian,  the  friends  think, 

and  they  are  highly  gratified  with  the  piety  of 
the  child.  Little  do  they  suspect  the  real  cause  of 
the  solemn  face ; not  the  slightest  suspicion  have 
they  of  the  foul  orgies  practiced  by  the  little  sin- 
ner. By  the  aid  of  friends  he  may  soon  add  hypoc- 
risy to  his  other  crimes,  and  find  in  assumed  devo- 
tion a ready  pretense  for  seeking  solitude.  Parents 
will  do  well  to  investigate  the  origin  of  this  kind 
of  religion  in  their  children. 

15.  Easily  frightened  children  are  abundant 
among  young  masturbators,  though  all  easily  fright- 
ened persons  are  not  vicious.  It  is  certain,  how- 
ever, that  the  vice  greatly  exaggerates  natural  fear, 
and  creates  an  unnatrual  apprehensiveness.  The 
victim’s  mind  is  constantly  filled  with  vague  fore- 
bodings of  evil.  He  often  looks  behind  him,  looks 
into  all  the  closets,  peeps  under  the  bed,  and  is  con- 
stantly expressing  fears  of  impending  evil.  Such 
movements  are  the  result  of  a diseased  imagination, 
and  they  may  justly  give  rise  to  suspicion. 

16.  Confusion  of  ideas  is  another  characteristic 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


S39 


Round  Shoulders.  Weak  Backs. 

of  the  devotee  of  this  artful  vice.  If  he  attempts 
to  argue,  his  points  are  not  clearly  made.  He  may 
be  superficially  quick  and  cute,  but  is  incapable  of 
deep  thought,  or  abstruse  reasoning ; is  often  very 
dull  of  apprehension.  Ideas  are  not  presented  in 
logical  order,  but  seem  to  fall  out  promiscuously, 
and  fairly  represent  the  condition  of  a disordered 
brain.  Attempts  at  joking  are  generally  failures, 
as  the  jest  is  sure  to  be  inappropriate  or  vulgar,  and 
no  one  but  himself  sees  any  occasion  for  laughter 
except  at  his  stupidity.  Such  individuals  are  not 
scarce. 

17.  Boys  in  whom  the  habit  has  become  well  de- 
veloped sometimes  manifest  a decided  aversion  to 
the  society  of  girls ; but  this  is  not  nearly  so  often 
the  case  as  some  authors  seem  to  indicate.  It 
would  rather  appear  that  the  opposite  is  more 
often  true.  Girls  usually  show  an  increasing  fond- 
ness for  the  society  of  boys,  and  are  very  prone  to 
exhibit  marked  evidences  of  real  wantonness. 

18.  Round  shoulders  and  a stooping  posture  in 
sitting  are  characteristics  of  young  masturbators  of 
both  sexes.  Whenever  a child  seats  himself,  the 
head  and  shoulders  droop  forward,  giving  to  the 
spine  a curved  appearance. 

19.  Weak  hades,  'pains  in  the  limbs,  and  stiff- 
ness of  the  joints,  in  children,  are  familiar  signs 
of  the  habit.  To  the  first  of  these  conditions  is  due 
the  habitual  stooping  posture  assumed  by  these  chil- 
dren. The  habit  referred  to  is  not  the  only  cause 


1 

340  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Paralysis.  Bad  Positions.  Lack  of  DeTelopmeut. 

of  these  conditions,  but  its  causative  occurrence  is 
sufficiently  frequent  to  give  it  no  small  importance 
as  a suspicious  indication. 

20.  Paralysis  of  the  lower  extremities,  coming 

on  without  apparent  cause,  is  not  infrequently  the 
result  of  solitary  indulgence,  even  in  very  small 
children.  We  have  seen  several  cases  in  which  this  j 

condition  was  traced  to  the  habit  of  masturbation,  j 

in  children  under  six  years  of  age.  i 

21.  The  gait  of  a person  addicted  to  this  vice  will 
usually  betray  him  to  one  who  has  learned  to  dis- 
tinguish the  peculiarities  which  almost  always  mark 
the  walk  of  such  persons.  In  a child,  a dragging, 
shuffling  walk  is  to  he  suspected.  Boys,  in  walking 
rapidly,  show  none  of  that  elasticity  which  charac- 
terizes a natural  gait,  but  walk  as  if  they  had  been 
stitfened  in  the  hips,  and  as  though  their  legs  were 
pegs  attached  to  the  body  by  hinges.  The  girl 
wriggles  along  in  a style  quite  as  characteristic, 
though  more  difficult  to  detect  with  certainty,  as  ‘ 
females  are  often  so  “ affected”  in  their  walk.  Un- 
steadiness of  gait  is  an  evidence  seen  in  both  sexes, 
especially  in  advanced  cases. 

22.  Bad  positions  in  bed  are  evidences  which 

should  be  noticed.  If  a child  lies  constantly  upon  j 

its  abdomen,  or  is  often  found  with  its  hands  about  ' 

the  genitals,  it  may  be  at  least  considered  in  a fair 
way  to  acquire  the  habit  if  it  has  not  already  done  so. 

23.  Lack  of  development  of  the  breasts  in  females, 
after  puberty,  is  a common  result  of  self-pollution. 

i 

1 1 

OLr  AND  YOUNG.  34| 

Capricious  Appetite.  Unnatural  Appetite. 

Still  it  would  be  entirely  unsafe  to  say  that  every 
female  with  small  mammary  glands  had  been  ad- 
dicted to  this  vice,  especially  at  the  present  time 
when  a fair  natural  development  is  often  destroyed 
by  the  constant  pressure  and  heat  of  “ pads.”  But 
this  sign  may  well  be  given  a due  bearing. 

24.  Capricious  appetite  particularly  characterizes 
children  addicted  to  secret  vice.  At  the  commence- 
ment of  the  practice,  they  almost  invariably  mani- 
fest great  voracity  for  food,  gorging  themselves  in 
the  most  gluttonous  manner.  As  the  habit  becomes 
fixed,  digestion  becomes  impaired,  and  the  appetite 
is  sometimes  almost  wanting,  and  at  other  times  al- 
most unappeasable. 

25.  One  very  constant  peculiarity  of  such  chil- 
dren is  their  extreme  fondness  for  unnatural,  hurt- 
ful, and  irritating  articles.  Nearly  all  are  greatly 
attached  to  salt,  pepper,  spices,  cinnamon,  cloves, 
vinegar,  mustard,  horse-radish,  and  similar  articles, 
and  use  them  in  most  inordinate  quantities.  A boy 
or  girl  who  is  constantly  eating  cloves  or  cinnamon, 
or  who  will  eat  salt  in  quantities  without  other 
food,  gives  good  occasion  for  suspicion. 

26.  Eating  clay,  slate-pencils,  plaster,  chalk,  and 
other  indigestible  articles  is  a practice  to  which  girls 
who  abuse  themselves  are  especially  addicted.  The 
habit  sometimes  becomes  developed  to  such  a won- 
derful extent  that  the  victims  almost  rival  the  clay- 
eaters  of  the  Amazon  in  gratifying  their  propensity. 

27.  Disgust  for  simple  food  is  one  of  the  traits 

342  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

The  Use  of  Tobacco.  Unnatural  Paleness.  Acne  of  the  Forehead. 

whicli  a victim  of  tliis  vice  is  sure  to  possess.  He 
seems  to  loathe  any  food  which  is  not  rendered  hot 
and  stimulating  with  spices  and  other  condiments, 
and  cannot  be  induced  to  eat  it. 

28.  The  use  of  tobacco  is  good  presumptive  evi- 
dence that  a hoy  is  also  addicted  to  a practice  still 
more  filthy.  Exceptions  to  this  rule  are  very  rare 
indeed,  if  they  exist,  which  we  somewhat  doubt. 

The  same  influences  which  would  lead  a hoy  to  the 
use  of  tobacco  would  also  lead  him  to  solitary  vice, 
and  each  sin  would  serve  to  exaggerate  the  other.  ^ 

29.  Unnatural  paleness  and  colorless  lips,  unless 
they  can  be  otherwise  accounted  for,  may  be  attrib- 
uted to  secret  sin.  The  face  is  a great  tell-tale 
against  this  class  of  sinners.  J ustice  demands,  how- 
ever, that  an  individual  should  be  given  the  benefit 
of  a doubt  so  long  as  there  is  a chance  for  the  pro- 
duction of  these  symptoms  by  any  other  known 
cause,  as  overwork,  mental  anxiety,  or  dyspepsia. 

30.  Acne,  or  pimples,  on  the  face  are  also  among 
the  suspicious  signs,  especially  when  they  appear 
upon  the  forehead  as  well  as  upon  other  portions  of 
the  face.  Occasional  pimples  upon  the  chin  are 
very  common  in  both  sexes  at  puberty  and  for  a 
few  years  afterward,  but  are  without  significance, 
except  that  the  blood  may  be  somewhat  gross  from 
unwholesome  diet  or  lack  of  exercise. 

31.  Biting  the  finger  nails  is  a practice  veiy  com- 
mon in  girls  addicted  to  this  vice.  In  such  persons 
there  will  also  be  found,  not  infrequently,  slight 

OLD  AND  TOUNO. 


343 


Palpitation  of  the  Heart.  Hysteria.  Chlorosis. 

soreness  or  ulceration  at  the  roots  of  the  nails,  and 
warts,  one  or  more,  upon  one  or  both  the  first  two 
fingers  of  the  hand — usually  the  right. 

32.  The  eyes  often  betray  much.  If,  in  addition 
to  want  of  luster  and  natural  brilliancy,  they  are 
sunken,  present  red  edges,  are  somewhat  sore,  per- 
haps, and  are  surrounded  by  a dark  ring,  the  patient, 
especially  if  a child,  should  be  suspected  and  care- 
fully watched.  It  should  be  observed,  however, 
that  dyspepsia,  debility  from  any  cause,  and  espe- 
cially loss  of  sleep,  will  produce  some  or  all  of  these 
signs,  and  no  one  should  be  accused  of  the  vice  up- 
on the  evidence  of  these  indications  alone,  neither 
could  he  be  justly  suspected  so  long  as  his  symp- 
toms could  be  accounted  for  by  legitimate  causes. 

33.  An  habitually  moist,  cold  hand,  is  a suspi- 
cious circumstance  in  a young  person  who  is  not 
known  to  be  suffering  from  some  constitutional 
disease. 

34.  Palpitation  of  the  heart,  frequcitly  occur- 
ring, denotes  a condition  of  nervous  disturbance 
which  has  some  powerful  cause,  and  which  may 
often  be  found  to  be  the  vice  in  question. 

35.  Hysteria  in  females  may  be  regarded  as  a 
suspicious  circumstance  when  frequently  occurring 
on  very  slight  occasions,  and  especially  if  there  is 
no  hereditary  tendency  to  the  disease. 

36.  Chlorosis,  or  green  sickness,  is  very  often 
caused  by  the  unholy  practice  under  consideration. 
It  is  very  commonly  attributed,  when  occurring  in 


344  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Epileptic  Fits.  Unchastity  of  Speech.  Positive  Signs. 

young  women,  to  menstrual  derangements ; but  it 
is  only  necessary  to  remember  that  these  menstrual 
irregularities  are  in  many  cases  the  result  of  the 
same  habit,  as  has  been  already  pointed  out. 

37.  Epileptic  fits  in  children  are  not  infre-  I 

quently  the  result  of  vicious  habits.  ' 

38.  Wetting  the  bed  is  an  evidence  of  irritation  i 
which  may  be  connected  with  the  practice ; it 
should  be  looked  after. 

39.  Unchastity  of  speech  and  fondness  for  ob- 
scene stories  betray  a condition  of  mind  which 
does  not  exist  in  youth  who  are  not  addicted  to 
this  vice. 

As  previously  remarked,  no  single  one  of  the 
above  signs  should  be  considered  as  conclusive  evi- 
dence of  the  habit  in  any  individual ; but  any  one 
of  them  may,  and  should,  arouse  suspicion  and 
watchfulness.  If  the  habit  really  exists,  but  a short 
time  will  elapse  before  other  signs  will  be  noticed, 
and  when  several  point  in  the  same  direction, 
the  evidence  may  be  considered  nearly,  if  not 
quite,  conclusive.  But  persistent  watching  will 
enable  the  positive  signs  to  be  detected  sooner  or 
later,  and  then  there  can  no  longer  be  doubt.  It 
is,  of  course,  necessary  to  give  the  individual  no 
suspicion  that  he  is  being  watched,  as  that  would 
put  him  so  efiectually  on  his  guard  as,  possibly,  to 
defy  detection. 

Positive  Signs. — The  absolutely  positive  signs 
of  solitary  vice  are  very  few.  Of  course  the  most 

i 

J 


OLD  AND  YOUNO. 


345 


Positive  Signs  very  Few.  Unmistakable  Indications. 

certainly  positive  of  all  is  detection  in  the  act. 
Sometimes  this  is  difficult,  with  such  consummate 
cunning  do  the  devotees  of  this  Moloch  pursue 
their  debasing  practice.  If  a child  is  noticed  to 
seek  a certain  secluded  spot  with  considerable  reg- 
ularity, he  should  be  carefully  followed  and  secret- 
ly watched,  for  several  days  in  succession  if  need 
be.  Many  children  pursue  the  practice  at  night 
after  retiring.  If  the  suspected  one  is  observed  to 
become  very  quickly  quiet  after  retiring,  and 
when  looked  at  appears  to  be  asleep,  the  bed- 
clothes should  be  quickly  thrown  off  under  some 
pretense.  If,  in  the  case  of  a boy,  the  penis  is 
found  in  a state  of  erection,  with  the  hands  near 
the  genitals,  he  may  certainly  be  treated  as  a mas- 
turbator without  any  error.  If  he  is  found  in  a 
state  of  excitement,  in  connection  with  the  other 
evidences,  with  a quickened  circulation  as  indi- 
cated by  the  pulse,  or  in  a state  of  perspiration,  his 
guilt  is  certain,  even  though  he  may  pretend  to  be 
asleep ; no  doubt  he  has  been  addicted  to  the  vice 
for  a considerable  time  to  have  acquired  so  much 
cunning.  If  the  same  course  is  pursued  with  girls, 
under  the  same  circumstances,  the  clitoris  will  be 
found  congested,  with  the  other  genital  organs, 
which  will  also  be  moist  from  increased  secretion. 
Other  conditions  will  be  as  nearly  as  possible  the 
same  as  those  in  the  boy. 

Stains  upon  the  night  shirt  or  sheets,  occurring 
before  puberty,  are  certain  evidences  of  the  vice  in 


346  PL  AIK  FACTS  FOR 

Unnatural  Development  before  Puberty.  Leucorrboea  in  Girls. 

boys,  as  they  are  subject,  before  that  time,  to  no 
discharge  which  will  leave  a stain  resembling  that 
from  the  seminal  fluid,  except  the  rare  one  from 
piles.  In  the  very  young,  these  stains  do  not 
occur ; but  when  the  habit  is  acquired  before 
puberty,  a discharge  resembling  semen  takes  place 
before  the  ordinary  period.  Of  course,  the  stains 
from  urine  will  be  easily  distinguished  from  others. 
The  frequent  occurrence  of  such  fetains  after  pu- 
berty is  a suspicious  circumstance.  A discharge 
in  some  respects  similar  may  occur  in  girls. 

Before  puberty,  the  efiect  of  the  vice  upon  the 
genital  organs  is  to  cause  an  unnatural  develop- 
ment, in  both  sexes,  of  the  sensitive  portions. 
When  this  is  marked,  it  is  pretty  conclusive  evi- 
dence of  the  vice.  In  girls,  the  vagina  often  be- 
comes unnaturally  enlarged,  and  leucorrhoea  is 
often  present.  After  puberty,  the  organs  usually 
diminish  in  size,  and  become  unnaturally  lax  and 
shrunken. 

All  of  these  signs  should  be  thoroughly  mastered 
by  those  who  have  children  under  their  care,  and 
if  not  continually  watching  for  them,  which  would 
I be  an  unpleasant  task,  such  should  be  on  the  alert 

to  detect  the  signs  at  once  when  they  appear,  and 
then  carefully  seek  for  others  until  there  is  no 
longer  any  doubt  about  the  case. 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


347 


EfI'ects  of  Secret  Vice  in  Jhiles.  Lociil  Effects. 


Results  of  Secret  Vice. 

The  physician  rarely  meets  more  forlorn  objects 
than  the  victims  of  prolonged  self-abuse.  These 
unfortunate  beings  he  meets  every  day  of  his  life, 
and  listens  so  often  to  the  same  story  of  shameful 
abuse  and  retributive  suffering  that  he  dreads  to 
hear  it  repeated.  In  these  cases,  there  is  usually  a 
horrid  sameness — the  same  cause,  the  same  inevit- 
able results.  In  most  cases,  the  patient  need  not 
utter  a word,  for  the  physician  can  read  in  his 
countenance  his  whole  history,  as  can  most  other 
people  at  all  conversant  with  the  subject. 

In  order  to  secure  the  greatest  completeness  con- 
sistent with  necessary  brevity,  we  will  describe  the 
effects  observed  in  males  and  those  in  females 
under  separate  heads,  noticing  the  symptoms  of 
each  morbid  condition  in  connection  with  its  de- 
scription. 

EFFECTS  IN  MALES. 

We  shall  describe,  first,  the  local  effects,  then 
the  general  effects,  physical  and  mental. 

Local  Effects. — Excitement  of  the  genital  or- 
gans produces  the  most  intense  congestion.  No 
other  organs  in  the  body  are  capable  of  such  rapid 
and  enormous  engorgement.  When  the  act  is  fre- 
quently repeated,  this  condition  becomes  perma- 


348 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 


Urethral  Irritation.  Stricture. 

nent  in  some  of  the  tissues,  particularly  in  the 
mucous  membrane  lining  the  urethra.  This  same 
membrane  continues  into  and  lines  throughout  the 
bladder,  kidneys,  and  all  the  urinary  organs,  to- 
gether with  the  vesiculse  seminales,  the  ejaculatory 
ducts,  the  vasa  deferentia,  and  the  testes.  In  con- 
sequence of  this  continuity  of  tissue,  any  irritation 
affecting  one  part  is  liable  to  extend  to  another,  or 
to  all  the  rest.  We  mention  this  anatomical  fact 
here  as  a help  to  the  understanding  of  the  different 
morbid  conditions  which  will  be  noticed. 

Urethral  Irritation. — The  chronic  congestion  of 
the  urethra  after  a time  becomes  chronic  irritabil- 
ity. The  tissue  is  unusually  sensitive,  this  condi- 
tion being  often  indicated  by  a slight  smarting 
in  urination.  It  often  extends  throughout  the 
whole  length  of  the  urethra,  and  becomes  so  in- 
tense that  the  passage  of  a sound,  which  wouLl 
occasion  little  if  any  sensation  in  a healthy  organ, 
produces  the  most  acute  pain,  as  we  have  observed 
in  numerous  instances,  even  when  the  greatest  care 
was  used  in  the  introduction  of  the  instrument. 

Shooting  pains  are  often  felt  in  the  organ,  due 
to  this  irritation.  Pain  is  in  some  cases  most  felt 
at  the  root,  in  othem,  at  the  head.  It  often  darts 
from  one  point  to  another.  Just  before  and  just 
after  urination  the  pain  is  most  severe. 

Stricture. — Long-continued  irritation  of  the  mu- 
cous membrane  of  the  urethra  produces,  ultimately, 
inflammation  and  swelling  of  the  same  in  some 


OLD  AND  YOUNQ.  349 

Enlargsd  Prostate.  Urinary  Diseases. 

portion  of  its  extent.  This  condition  may  become 
permanent,  and  then  constitutes  real  stricture,  a 
most  serious  disease.  More  often  the  swelling  is 
but  transient,  being  due  to  some  unusual  excess, 
and  will  subside.  Sometimes,  also,  a temporary 
stricture  is  produced  by  spasmodic  contraction  of 
the  muscular  fibers  surrounding  the  urethra,  which 
is  excited  by  the  local  irritation.  This  kind  of 
stricture  is  often  met  in  the  treatment  of  sperma- 
torrhoea. 

Eularged  Prostate. — This  painful  affection  is  a 
frequent  result  of  the  chronic  irritation  in  the  urc- 
tlira,  which  the  gland  surrounds,  the  morbid  action 
being  communicated  to  it  by  its  proximity.  • A dis- 
eased action  is  set  up  which  results  in  enlargement 
and  hardening.  It  is  felt  as  a hard  body  just  an- 
terior to  the  anus,  and  becomes  by  pressure  the 
source  of  much  additional  mischief.  Sometimes 
the  disease  progresses  to  dangerous  ulceration.  It 
is  attended  by  heat,  pressure,  and  pain  between 
the  anus  and  the  root  of  the  penis. 

Urinary  Diseases. — The  same  congestion  and 
irritability  extend  to  the  bladder  and  thence  to  the 
kidneys,  producing  irritation  and  inflammation  of 
those  organs.  Mucus  is  often  formed  in  large 
( quantities ; sometimes  much  is  retained  in  the 
bladder.  Earthy  matter  is  deposited,  which  be- 
comes entangled  in  the  mucus,  and  thus  a concre- 
tion or  stone  is  produced,  occasioning  much  suffer- 
ing, and  perhaps  death. 


350 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 


Priapism.  Piles,  Prolapsus  of  Bectum,  etc. 

We  saw,  not  long  since,  a case  of  this  kind.  The 
patient  was  nearly  sixty  years  of  age,  and  had 
practiced  masturbation  from  childhood.  In  conse- 
quence of  his  vice,  a chronic  irritation  of  the  ure- 
thra had  been  produced,  which  was  followed  by 
enlargement  of  the  prostate,  then  by  chronic  irri- 
tation of  the  bladder  and  the  formation  of  stone. 
His  sufferings  were  most  excniciatinor  whenever  he 
attempted  to  urinate,  which  was  only  accomplished 
with  the  greatest  difficulty  and  suffering. 

One  of  the  unpleasant  results  of  irrita,tion  of  the 
lining  membrane  of  the  bladder  is  inabihty  to  re- 
tain the  urine  long,  which  requires  frequent  urin- 
ation and  often  causes  incontinence  of  uiine. 

Priapism. — This  same  morbid  sensitiveness  may 
produce  priapism,  or  continuous  and  painful  erec- 
tion, one  of  the  most  “terrible  and  humiliating 
conditions,”  as  Dr.  Acton  says,  to  which  the  human 
body  is  subject.  The  horrid  desperation  of  patients 
suffering  under  this  condition  is  almost  inconceiv- 

O 

able.  It  is,  fortunately,  rare,  in  its  most  severe 
forms  ; but  hundreds  suffer  from  it  to  a most  pain- 
ful degree  as  one  of  the  punishments  of  transgres- 
sion of  nature’s  laws ; and  a most  terrible  punish- 
ment it  is. 

Piles,  Prolapsus  of  Rectum,  etc. — As  the  result 
of  the  straining  caused  by  stricture,  piles,  prolap- 
sus of  the  rectum,  and  fissure  of  the  anus  are  not 
infrequently  induced,  as  the  following  case  ob- 
served at  Charity  Hospital,  New  York,  illus- 
trates : — 


OLD  AND  YOUNO. 


351 


Hypospadias.  Extension  of  Irritation. 

The  patient  had  a peculiar  deformity  of  the  gen- 
ital organs,  hypospadias,  which  prevented  sexual 
intercourse,  in  consequence  of  which  he  gave  him- 
self up  to  the  practice  of  self-abuse.  He  had  be- 
come reduced  to  the  most  deplorable  condition  of 
both  mind  and  body,  and  presented  a most  woe- 
begone countenance.  In  addition  to  his  general 
ailments,  he  suffered  from  extreme  prolapsus  of  the 
rectum  and  a most  painful  anal  fissure.  His  con- 
dition was  somewhat  bettered  by  skillful  surgical 
treatment. 

Extension  of  Irritation. — Serious  and  painful  as 
are  the  affections  already  noticed,  those  which  arise 
from  the  extension  of  the  congestion  and  irritation 
of  the  urethra  to  those  other  organs  most  intimately 
connected  with  the  function  of  generation  are  still 
more  dreadful  in  themselves,  and  far  more  serious 
in  their  consequences.  The  irritation  extends  into 
the  ejaculatory  ducts,  thence  backward  into  the 
seminal  vesicles,  and  downward  through  the  vasa 
deferentia  to  the  testes.  These  organs  become  un- 
naturally excited,  and  their  activity  is  increased. 
The  testicles  form  an  abnormal  amount  of  sperma- 
tozoa ; the  seminal  vesicles  secrete  their  peculiar 
fluid  too  freely.  From  these  two  sources  combined, 
the  vesicles  become  loaded  with  seminal  fluid,  and 
this  condition  gives  rise  to  a great  increase  of  sex- 
ual excitement. 

In  cases  of  long  standing,  the  irritation  of  the 
urethra  at  the  openings  of  the  ejaculatory  ducts,  a 


352  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Atrophy,  or  Wasting  of  the  Testes.  Varicocele. 

point  just  in  front  of  the  bladder,  advances  to  in- 
dammation  and  ulceration.  Here  is  now  estab- 
lished a permanent  source  of  irritation,  by  which 
the  morbid  activity  of  the  testes  and  seminal  ves- 
I ides  is  kept  up  and  continually  increased.  This 
condition  is  indicated  by  frequent  twitchings  of  the 
ejaculatory  and  compressor  muscles  in  the  peri- 
neum. It  is  also  indicated  by  a burning  sensation 
at  the  root  of  the  penis  after  urination,  which,  in 

I severe  cases,  amounts  to  very  serious  pain. 

Atrophy,  or  Wasting  of  the  Testes. — The  first 
result  of  the  irritation  communicated  to  the  testes, 
is,  as  already  remarked,  increased  acti^^,ty;  but 
this  is  attended  by  swelling  in  some  cases,  more  or 
less  pain,  tenderness,  and,  after  a time,  diminution 
in  size. 

This  degenerative  process  likewise  afiects  the 
seminal  fluid,  which  becomes  more  or  less  deteri- 
orated and  incapable  of  producing  healthy  ofl- 
spring,  even  while  it  retains  the  power  of  fecun- 
dating: the  ovum,  which  it  also  ultimatelv  loses  if 

I the  disease  is  not  checked  by  proper  treatment, 
when  the  individual  becomes  hopelessly  impotent, 
a happy  result  for  the  race,  for  it  prevents  the  pos- 
sibility of  his  imparting  to  another  being  his  debil- 
itated constitution. 

Varicocele. — This  morbid  condition  consists  in  a 
varicose  state  of  the  spermatic  veins.  It  is  almost 
always  found  upon  the  left  side,  o-wing  to  an  ana- 
tomical peculiarity  of  the  spermatic  vein  of  that 


OLD  AND  tO'UNG. 


353 


Noctiiroal  Emissions.  Spermatorrhoea. 

side.  It  has  been  supposed  to  be  a result  of  mas- 
turbation and  its  effects,  but  is  certainly  caused 
otherwise  in  many  cases.  It  is  not  infrequently 
found  in  these  patients ; but  Prof.  Bartholow  con- 
tends that  even  in  such  cases  we  should  “ consider 
its  presence,  in  general,  as  accidental.”  Atrophy 
of  the  left  testicle  is  often  produced  by  the  pressure 
of  the  distended  veins ; but  this  does  not  produce 
impotence.  It  occasionally  occurs  simultaneously 
on  both  sides,  and  greatly  aggravates  the  effects  of 
self -abuse,  if  it  is  not  itself  an  effect  of  the  vice. 

Nocturnal  Emissions. — Seminal  emissions  dur- 
ing sleep,  usually  accompanied  by  erotic  dreams, 
are  known  as  nocturnal  pollutions  or  emissions, 
and  are  often  called  spermatorrhoea,  though  there 
is  some  disagreement  respecting  the  use  of  the  lat- 
ter term.  Its  most  proper  use  is  when  applied  to 
the  entire  group  of  symptoms  which  accompany 
involuntary  seminal  losses. 

The  masturbator  knows  nothing  of  this  disease 
so  long  as  he  continues  his  vile  practice ; but  when 
he  resolves  to  reform,  and  ceases  to  defile  himself 
voluntarily,  he  is  astonished  and  disgusted  to  find 
that  the  same  filthy  pollutions  occur  during  his 
sleep  without  his  voluntary  participation.  He  now 
begins  to  see  something  of  the  ruin  he  has  wrought. 
The  same  nightly  loss  continues,  sometimes  being- 
repeated  several  times  in  a single  night,  to  his  in- 
finite mortification  and  chagrin.  He  hopes  the 
difficulty  will  subside  of  itself,  but  his  hope  is 

23 


354 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 


Exciting  Causes,  Lascivious  Tlioughts. 

vain ; unless  properly  treated,  it  will  probably  con- 
tinue until  the  ruin  which  he  voluntarily  began  is 
completed. 

This  disease  is  the  result  of  sexual  excesses  of 
any  kind ; it  is  common  in  married  men  who  have 
abused  the  marriage  relation,  when  they  are  forced 
to  temporary  continence  from  any  cause.  It  also 
occurs  in  those  addicted  to  mental  unchastity, 
though  they  may  be  physically  continent.  It  is 
not  probable  that  it  would  ever  occur  in  a person 
who  had  been  stidctly  continent  and  had  not  al- 
lowed his  mind  to  dwell  upon  libidinous  imagina- 
tions. 

Exciting  Causes. — The  exciting  causes  which 
serve  to  pei’petuate  this  difficulty  are  chiefly  two ; 
viz.,  local  irritation  and  lewd  thoughts. 

The  first  cause  is  usually  chiefly  located  in  the 
urethra,  and  especially  at  the  mouths  of  the  ejacu- 
latory ducts.  Distention  of  the  seminal  vesicles 
with  a superabundance  of  seminal  fluid  also  acts 
as  a source  of  irritation.  Constipation,  worms,  and 
piles  have  an  irritative  influence  which  is  often 
verv  seriously  felt. 

Unchaste  thoughts  act  detrimentally  in  a two- 
fold way.  They  first  stimulate  the  actiffity  of  the 
testes,  thus  increasing  the  overloading  of  the  sem- 
inal vesicles.  Lascivious  thoughts  during  wake- 
fulness are  the  chief  cause  of  lasciffious  dreams. 

Emissions  do  not  usually  occur  duiing  the  sound- 
est sleep,  but  during  that  condition  which  may  be 


OLD  AND  TOUNG. 


355 


Emissions  Accompanied  by  Preams.  Exciting  Causes. 

characterized  as  dozing,  which  is  most  often  in- 
dulged in  early  in  the  morning  after  the  soundest 
sleep  is  passed.  This  fact  has  an  important  bear- 
ing upon  treatment,  as  will  be  seen  hereafter. 

At  first,  the  emissions  are  always  accompanied 
by  dreams,  the  patient  usually  awaking  immedi- 
ately afterward ; but  after  a time  they  take  place 
without  dreams  and  without  awaking  him,  and  are 
unaccompanied  by  sensation.  This  denotes  a great- 
ly increased  gravity  of  the  complaint. 

Certain  circumstances  greatly  increase  the  fre- 
quency of  the  emissions,  and  thus  hasten  the  injury 
which  they  are  certain  to  accomplish  if  not  checked  ; 
as,  neglect  to  relieve  the  bladder  and  bowels  at 
night,  late  suppers,  stimulating  foods  and  drinks, 
and  anything  that  will  excite  the  genital  organs. 
Of  all  causes,  amorous  or  erotic  thoughts  are  the 
most  powerful.  Tea  and  cofiee,  spices  and  other 
condiments,  and  animal  food  have  a special  ten- 
dency in  this  direction.  Certain  positions  in  bed 
also  serve  as  exciting  or  predisposing  causes;  as 
sleeping  upon  the  back  or  abdomen.  Feather  beds 
and  pillows  and  too  warm  covering  in  bed  are  also 
injurious  for  thfe  same  reason. 

In  frequency,  emissions  will  vary  in  different 
persons  from  an  occasional  one  at  long  and  irregu- 
lar intervals  to  two  or  three  a week,  or  several — 
as  many  as  four  in  one  case  we  have  met — in  a 
single  night. 

The  immediate  effect  of  an  emission  will  depend 


356 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 


Effects  of  Emissions.  Are  Occasional  Emissions  Kecessary? 

somewhat  upon  the  frequency  of  occurrence  and 
the  condition  of  the  individual.  If  very  infre- 
quent, and  occurring  in  a comparatively  robust 
person,  after  the  seminal  vesicles  have  become  dis- 
tended with  seminal  fluid,  the  immediate  effect  of 
an  emission  may  be  a sensation  of  temporary  re- 
lief. This  circumslance  has  led  certain  persons  to 
suppose  that  emissions  are  natural  and  beneficial 
This  point  will  receive  attention  shortly. 

If  the  emissions  are  more  frequent,  or  if  they 
occur  in  a person  of  a naturally  feeble  constitution, 
the  immediate  effect  is  lassitude,  languoi,  indispo- 
sition and  often  inability  to  perform  severe  mental 
or  physical  labor,  melancholy,  amounting  often  to 
despair  and  even  leading  to  suicide,  and  an  exag- 
geration of  local  irritation,  and  of  all  the  morbid 
conditions  to  be  noticed  under  the  head  of  “ Gen- 
eral Efiects.”  Headache,  indigestion,  weakness  of 
the  back  and  knees,  disturbed  circulation,  dimness 
of  vision,  and  loss  of  appetite,  are  only  a few  of 
these. 

Are  Occasional  Emissions  Necessary  or  Harm- 
less ? — That  an  individual  may  sufier  for  years  an 
involuntary  seminal  loss  as  frequently  as  once  a 
month  without  apparently  suffering  very  great  in- 
jury, seems  to  be  a settled  fact  with  physicians  of 
extensive  experience,  and  is  well  confirmed  by  ob- 
servation ; yet  there  are  those  who  sufier  severeh’ 
from  losses  no  more  frequent  than  this.  But  when 
seminal  losses  occur  more  frequently  than  once  a 


OLD  AND  young. 


357 


Seminal  Losses  not  Natural.  Not  Necessary  to  Health. 

month,  they  will  certainly  ultimate  in  great  injury, 
even  though  immediate  ill  effects  are  not  noticed, 
as  in  exceptional  cases  they  may  not  be.  If  argu- 
*ment  is  necessary  to  sustain  this  position,  as  it 
hardly  seems  to  be,  we  would  refer  to  the  fact  that 
seminal  losses . do  not  occur  in  those  who  are,  and 
always  have  been,  continent  both  mentally  and 
physically,  when  such  rare  individuals  can  be 
found.  They  occur  the  most  rarely  in  those  who 
the  most  nearly  approach  the  standard  of  perfect 
chastity ; so  that  whenever  they  occur,  they  may 
be  taken  as  evidence  of  some  form  of  sexual  excess. 
This  fact  clearly  shows  that  losses  of  this  kind  are 
not  natural. 

Emission  not  Necessary  to  Health. — If  it  be 
argued  that  an  occasional  emission  is  necessary  to 
relieve  the  overloaded  seminal  vesicles,  we  reply, 
the  same  argument  has  been  used  as  an  apology 
for  unchastity ; but  it  is  equally  worthless  in  both 
instances.  It  might  be  as  well  argued  that  vomit- 
ing is  a necessary  physiological  and  healthful  act, 
and  should  occur  with  regularity,  because  a person 
may  so  overload  his  stomach  as  to  make  the  act 
necessary  as  a remedial  measure.  Vomiting  is  a 
diseased  action,  a pathological  process,  and  is  occa- 
sioned by  the  voluntary  transgression  of  the  indi- 
vidual. Hence,  it  is  as  unnecessary  as  gluttony, 
and  must  be  wasteful  of  vitality,  even  though  ren- 
dered necessary  under  some  circumstances.  So 
with  emissions.  If  a person  allows  his  mind  to 


358  PLAIN  FACTS  FOB 

Eesult  of  Mental  Unchastity.  Eminent  Testimony. 

dwell  upon  unchaste  subjects,  indulges  in  erotic 
dreams,  and  riots  in  .mental  lasciviousness,  he  may- 
render  an  emission  almost  necessary  as  a remedial 
effort.  Nevertheless,  he  will  suffer  from  the  loss* 
of  the  vital  fluid  just  the  same  as  though  he  had 
not,  by  his  own  concupiscence,  rendered  it  in  some 
degree  necessary.  And  as  it  would  have  been  in- 
finitely better  for  him  to  have  retained  and  di- 
gested food  in  his  stomach  instead  of  ejecting  it — 
provided  it  were  wholesome  food — so  it  would  have 
been  better  for  him  to  have  retained  in  his  system 
the  seminal  fluid,  which  would  have  been  disposed 
of  by  the  system  and  probably  utilized  to  very 
great  advantage  in  the  repair  of  certain  of  the 
tissues. 

Emiueut  Testimony.  — An  eminent  English 
physician.  Dr.  Milton,  who  has  treated  man}^  thou- 
sands of  cases  of  this  disease,  remarks  in  a work 
upon  the  subject  as  follows ; — 

“Anything  beyond  one  emission  a month  re- 
quires attention.  I know  this  statement  has  been 
impugned,  but  I am  quite  prepared  to  abide  by  it. 
I did  *hot  put  it  foiuvard  till  I considered  I had 
quite  sufficient  evidence  in  my  hands  to  justify  me 
in  doing  so.” 

“ An  opinion  prevails,  as  most  of  my  readers  are 
aware,  among  medical  men,  that  a few  emissions 
in  youth  do  good  instead  of  harm.  It  is  difficult 
to  understand  how  an  unnatural  evacuation  can  do 
good,  except  in  the  case  of  unnatural  congestion. 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


S5f) 

Waste  of  Vitality.  Diurnal  Emissions. 

I have,  however,  convinced  myself  that  the  princi- 
ple is  wrong.  Lads  never  really  feel  better  for 
emissions ; they  very  often  feel  decidedly'  worse. 
Occasionally  they  may  fancy  there  is  a sense  of  re- 
lief, but  it  is  very  much  the  same  sort  of  relief 
that  a drunkard  feels  from  a dram.  In  early  life 
the  stomach  may  be  repeatedly  overloaded  with 
impunity,  but  I suppose  few  would  contend  that 
overloading  was  therefore  good.  The  fact  is  that 
emissions  are  invariably  more  or  less  injurious ; 
not  always  visibly  so  in  youth,  nor  susceptible  of 
being  assessed  as  to  the  damage  inflicted  by  any 
given  number  of  them,  but  still  contributing,  each 
in  its  turn,  a mite  toward  the  exhaustion  and  de- 
bility which  the  patient  will  one  day  complain  of.” 

Diurnal  Emissions. — As  the  disease  progresses, 
the  irritation  and  weakness  of  the  organs  become 
so  great  that  an  erection  and  emission  occur  upon 
the  slightest  sexual  excitement.  Mere  proximity 
to  a female,  or  the  thought  of  one,  will  be  sufficient 
to  produce  a pollution,  attended  by  voluptuous 
sensations.  But  after  a time  the  organs  become  so 
diseased  and  irritable  that  the  slightest  mechanical 
irritation,  as  friction  of  the  clothing,  the  sitting 
posture,  or  riding  horseback,  will  produce  a dis- 
charge which  may  or  may  not  be  attended  by  sen- 
sation of  any  kind.  Frequently  a burning  or  more 
or  less  painful  sensation  occurs ; erection  does  not 
take  place.  Even  straining  at  stool  will  produce 
the  discharge,  or  violent  efforts  to  retain  the  feces 
when  there  is  unnatural  looseness. 


^60  PL  A IN’  FACTS  FOR 

Character  of  Discharge  Important.  Cause  of  Dinmal  Losses. 

The  amount  of  the  discharge  may  vary  from  a 
few  drops  to  one  or  two  drams,  or  even  more.  The 
character  of  the  discharge  is  of  considerable  im- 
portance. When  it  occurs  under  the  circumstances 
last  described,  viz.,  without  erection  or  voluptuous 
sensations,  it  may  be  of  a true  seminal  character, 
or  it  may  contain  no  spermatozoa.  This  point  can 
be  determined  by  the  microscope  alone.  The  dis-  ] 

charge  is  the  result  of  sexual  excitement  or  irrita-  I 

tion,  nevertheless,  and  indicates  a most  deplorable 
condition  of  the  genital  organs.  The  patient  is 
sometimes  unnecessarily  frightened  by  it,  and  often 
exaggerates  the  amount  of  the  losses,  and  the  symp- 
toms arising  from  them.  However,  when  a single 
nocturnal  emission  occasions  such  detrimental  re- 
I suits,  what  must  be  the  effect  of  repeated  dis- 

charges. occurring  several  times  a day,  or  every 
time  an  individual  relieves  his  bowels,  urinates,  or 
entertains  an  unvirtuous  thought ! If  the  losses 
were  always  seminal,  the  work  of  ruin  would  soon 
be  complete ; fortunately,  those  discharges  which 
are  the  most  frequent  are  only  occasionally  of  a 
i true  seminal  character.  It  is  not  true,  however,  as 

has  been  claimed  by  some  writers,  one  at  least,  I 

that  they  are  never  seminal,  as  we  have  proved  by  : 

repeated  microscopic  examinations. 

I Cause  of  Diurnal  Emissions. — The  causes  of 

these  discharges  are  spasmodieuction  of  the  muscles 
[ involved  in  ejaculation,  which  is  occasioned  by  local 

! irritation,  and  pressure  upon  the  seminal  vesicles 

1 

L_ i 

: 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


361 


Internal  Emisaions.  An  Important  Caution. 

by  the  distended  rectum  or  bladder.  They  denote 
a condition  of  debility  and  irritation  which  may 
well  occasion  grave  alarm. 

In  occasional  instances,  the  internal  irritation 
reaches  such  a height  that  blood  is  discharged  with 
the  seminal  fluid. 

Internal  Emissions. — As  the  disease  progresses, 
external  discharges  Anally  cease,  in  some  cases,  or 
partially  so,  and  the  individual  is  encouraged  by 
that  circumstance  to  think  that  he  is  recoverinsf. 
He  soon  discovers  his  error,  however,  for  he  contin- 
ues to  droop  even  though  the  discharges  apparently 
cease  altogether.  This  seems  a mystery  until  some 
medical  friend  or  a medical  work  calls  his  attention 
to  the  fact  that  the  discharges  now  occur  internally 
instead  of  externally,  the  seminal  fluid  passing  back 
into  the  bladder  and  being  voided  with  the  urine. 
An  examination  of  the  urine  reveals  the  presence 
of  cloudy  matter  appearing  much  like  mucus,  or  a 
whitish  sediment.  A microscopic  examination 
shows  this  matter  to  be  composed  largely  of  zoo- 
sperms,  which  decides  its  origin. 

An  Important  Cantion. — It  is  necessary,  how- 
ever, to  caution  the  reader  not  to  pronounce  every 
whitish  sediment  or  flocculent  matter  found  in  the 
urine  to  be  a seminal  discharge,  for  the  great  major- 
ity are  of  a different  character.  They  are,  most 
frequently,  simply  mucus  or  phosphates  from  the 
bladder.  Seminal  fluid  cannot  be  distinguished 


362 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 


Quacks.  Necessity  for  Proper  Treatment. 

from  mucus  by  any  other  than  a careful  micro- 
scopic examination.  A microscope  of  good  quality 
and  capable  of  magnifying  at  least  one  hundred 
and  fifty  diameters  is  required,  together  with  con- 
siderable skill  in  the  operator.  Quacks  have  done 
an  immense  amount  of  harm  by  frightening  pa- 
tients into  the  belief  that  they  were  suffering  from 
discharges  of  this  kind  when  there  was,  in  fact, 
nothing  more  than  a copious  deposit  of  phosphates, 
which  is  not  at  all  infrequent  in  nervous  people,  es- 
pecially after  eating. 

When  the  condition  described  does  really  exist, 
how^ever,  the  patient  cannot  make  too  much  haste 
to  put  himself  under  the  care  of  a competent  phy- 
sician for  treatment.  If  there  is  even  a reasonable 
suspicion  that  it  may  exist,  he  should  have  his  urine 
carefully  examined  by  one  competent  to  criticize  it 
intelligently. 

By  many  authors,  the  term  spermatoiThoea  is  con- 
fined entirely  to  this  stage  of  the  disease. 

It  is  said  that  the  forcible  interruption  of  ejacu- 
lation has  been  the  cause  of  this  unfortunate  condi- 
tion in  many  cases.  Such  a proceeding  is  certainly 
very  hazardous. 

One  more  caution  should  be  offered;  viz.,  that 
the  occasional  presence  of  spermatozoa  in  the  urine 
is  not  a proof  of  the  existence  of  internal  emissions, 
as  a few  zoosperms  may  be  left  in  the  urethi-a  after 
a voluntary  or  nocturnal  emission,  and  thus  find 
their  way  into  the  urine  as  it  is  discharged  from  the 
bladder. 


OLD  AND  TO  UNO.  36;^ 

Impotence.  General  Effects. 

Impotence. — In  the  progress  of  the  disease  a 
point  is  finally  reached  when  the  victim  not  only 
loses  all  desire  for  the  natural  exercise  of  the  sexual 
function,  hut  when  such  an  act  becomes  impossible. 
This  condition  may  have  been  reached  even  before 
all  of  the  preceding  symptoms  have  been  developed. 
Ultimately  it  becomes  impossible  to  longer  practice 
the  abominable  vice  itself,  on  account  of  the  great 
degeneration  and  relaxation  of  the  organs.  The 
approach  of  this  condition  is  indicated  by  increas- 
ing loss  of  erectile  power,  which  is  at  first  only 
temporary,  but  afterward  becomes  permanent.  Still 
the  involuntary  discharges  continue,  and  the  victim 
sees  himself  gradually  sinking  lower  and  lower  into 
the  pit  which  his  own  hands  have  dug.  ^^he  misery 
of  his  condition  is  unimaginable ; manhood  lost, 
body  a wreck,  and  death  staring  him  in  the  face. 

This  is  a brief  sketch  of  the  local  effects  of  the 
horrid  vice  of  self-abuse.  The  description  has  not 
been  at  all  overdrawn.  We  have  yet  to  consider 
the  general  effects,  some  of  which  have  already 
been  incidentally  touched  upon  in  describing  noc- 
turnal emissions,  with  their  immediate  results. 

General  Effects.  — The  many  serious  effects 
which  follow  the  habit  of  self-abuse,  in  addition  to 
those  terrible  local  maladies  already  described,  are 
the  direct  results  of  two  causes  in  the  male ; viz., 

1.  Nervous  exhaustion ; 

2.  Loss  of  the  seminal  fluid. 

There  has  been  much  discussion  as  to  which  one 


1 

2Q4>  plain  facts  for 

Effects  upon  the  Nervous  System.  Important  I'acts. 

of  these  was  the  cause  of  the  effects  observed  in 
these  eases.  Some  have  attributed  all  the  evil  to 
one  cause,  and  some  to  the  other.  Tliat  the  loss  of 
semen  is  not  the  only  cause,  nor,  perhaps,  the  chief 
source  of  injury,  is  proved  by  the  fact  that  most 
deplorable  effects  of  the  vice  are  seen  in  children 
before  puberty,  and  also  in  females,  in  whom  no 
seminal  discharge  nor  anything  analogous  to  it 
occurs.  In  these  cases,  it  is  the  nervous  shock  | 

alone  which  works  the  evil. 

Again,  that  the  seminal  fluid  is  the  most  highly  i 

vitalized  of  all  the  fluids  of  the  body,  and  that  its 
rapid  production  is  at  the  expense  of  a most  ex- 
haustive effort  on  the  part  of  the  vital  forces,  is 
well  attested  by  all  physiologists.  It  is  further  be- 
lieved by  some  eminent  physicians  that  the  seminal 
fluid  is  of  gi'eat  use  in  the  body  for  building  up  ami 
replenishing  certain  tissues,  especially  those  of  the 
nerves  and  brain,  being  absorbed  after  secretion. 

Though  this  view  is  not  coincided  in  by  all  physi- 
ologists, it  seems  to  be  supported  by  the  following 
facts : — 

1.  The  composition  of  the  nerves  and  that  of 
spermatozoa  is  nearly  identical. 

2.  Men  from  whom  the  testes  have  been  removed 
before  puberty,  as  in  the  case  of  eunuchs,  are  never 
fully  developed  as  they  would  othenvise  have  been. 

‘ The  nervous  shock  accompanying  the  exercise  of 

the  sexual  organs — either  natui’al  or  unnatural — is 
the  most  profound  to  which  the  system  is  subject. 

^ 1 , 

OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


365 


Exhausting  Effects.  General  Debility. 

The  whole  nervous  system  is  called  into  activity; 
and  the  effects  are  occasionally  so  strongly  felt 
upon  a weakened  organism  that  death  results  in 
the  very  act.  The  subsequent  exhaustion  is  nec- 
essarily proportionate  to  the  excitement. 

It  need  not  be  surprising,  then,  that  the  eftects 
of  the  frequent  operation  of  two  such  powerful  in- 
fluences combined  should  be  so  teriible  as  they  arc 
found  to  be. 

General  Debility. — Nervous  exhaustion  and  the 
loss  of  the  vivifying  influence  of  the  seminal  fluid 
produce  extreme  mental  and  physical  debility, 
which  increases  as  the  habit  is  practiced,  and  is 
continued  by  involuntary  emissions  after  the  habit 
ceases.  If  the  patient’s  habits  are  sedentary,  and 
if  he  had  a delicate  constitution  at  the  start,  his 
progress  toward  the  grave  will  be  fearfully  rapid, 
especially  if  the  habit  were  acquired  young,  as  it 
most  frequently  is  by  such  boys,  they  being  gener- 
ally precocious.  Extreme  emaciation,  sallow  or 
blotched  skin,  sunken  eyes,  surrounded  by  a dark 
or  blue  color,  general  weakness,  dullness,  weak 
back,  stupidity,  laziness,  or  indisposition  to  activity 
of  any  kind,  wandering  and  illy  defined  pains,  ob- 
scure and  often  teriible  sensations,  pain  in  back 
and  limbs,  sleeplessness,  and  a train  of  morbid 
symptoms  too  long  to  mention  in  detail,  attend 
these  sufierers. 

Consumiotion. — It  is  well  recognized  by  the 
medical  profession  that  this  vice  is  one  of  the  most 


366  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Consumption.  Dyspepsia. 

frequent  causes  of  consumption.  At  least  such 
would  seem  to  be  the  declaration  of  experience, 
and  the  following  statistical  fact  adds  weight  to 
the  conclusion : — 

“ Dr.  Smith  read  a paper  before  a learned  med- 
ical association  a few  years  since  in  which  he 
pointed  out  the  startling  fact  that  in  one  thousand 
cases  of  consumption  five  hundred  and  eighteen 
had  sufiered  from  some  form  of  sexual  abuse,  and 
more  than  four  hundred  had  been  addicted  to  mas- 
turbation or  suffered  from  nocturnal  emissions.”  * 
“ Most  of  those  who  early  become  addicted  to 
self-pollution  are  soon  afterward  the  subjects,  not 
merely  of  one  or  more  of  the  ailments  already  no- 
ticed, but  also  of  enlargements  of  the  lymphatic 
and  other  glands,  ultimately  of  tubercular  deposits 
in  the  lungs  and  other  viscera,  or  of  scrofulous 
disease  of  the  vertebrae  or  bones,  or  of  other  struct- 
ures, more  especially  of  the  joints.”  f 

Many  young  men  waste  away  and  die  of  symp- 
toms resembling  consumption  which  are  solely  the 
result  of  the  loathsome  practice  of  self-abuse.  The 
real  number  of  consumptives  whose  disease  orig- 
inates in  this  manner  can  never  be  known. 

Dyspepsia. — Indigestion  is  frequently  one  of  the 
first  results.  Nervous  exhaustion  is  always,  felt 
by  the  stomach  very  promptly.  When  dyspepsia 
is  once  really  established,  it  reacts  upon  the  genital 
organs,  increasing  their  irritability  as  well  as  that 

*■  Acton.  t Copland. 


OLD  AND  TO  UNO. 


367 


Heart  Disease.  Throat  Affections. 

of  all  the  rest  of  the  nervous  system.  Now  there 
is  no  end  to  the  ills  which  may  be  suffered ; for  an 
impaired  digestion  lays  the  system  open  to  the  in- 
roads of  almost  any  and  every  malady. 

Heart  Disease. — Functional  disease  of  the  heart, 
indicated  by  excessive  palpitation  on  the  slightest 
exertion,  is  a very  frequent  symptom.  Though  it 
unfits  the  individual  for  labor,  and  causes  him 
much  suffering,  he  would  be  fortunate  if  he  es- 
caped with  no  disease  of  a more  dangerous  charactei-. 

TJiVoat  Affections. — There  is  no  doubt  that 
many  of  the  affections  of  the  throat  in  young  men 
and  older  ones  which  pass  under  the  name  of  “cler- 
gyman’s sore  throat  ” are  the  direct  results  of  mas- 
turbation and  emissions. 

Dr.  Acton  cites  several  cases  in  proof  of  this,  and 
quotes  the  following  letter  from  a young  clergy- 
man : — 

“ When  I began  the  practice  of  mastui’bation,  at 
the  age  of  sixteen,  I was  in  the  habit  of  exercismg 
my  voice  regularly.  The  first  part  in  which  I felt 
the  bad  effects  of  that  habit  was  in  the  organs  of 
articulation.  After  the  act,  the  voice  wanted  tone, 
and  there  was  a disagreeable  feeling  about  the 
throat  which  made  speaking  a source  of  no  pleasure 
to  me  as  it  had  been.  By-and-by,  it  became  pain- 
ful to  speak  after  the  act.  This  arose  from  a 
feeling  as  if  a morbid  matter  was  being  secreted  in 
the  throat,  so  acrid  that  it  sent  tears  to  the  eyes 
when  speaking,  and  would  have  taken  away  the 


368  PLAIN  PACTS  POP 

Eflect  upon  the  Voice.  Nervous  Diseases. 

Lreath  if  not  swallowed.  This,  however,  passed 
away  in  a day  or  two  after  the  act.  In  the  course 
of  years,  when  involuntary  emissions  began  to  im- 
pair the  constitution,  this  condition  became  perma- 
nent. The  throat  always  feels  very  delicate,  and 
there  is  often  such  irritability  in  it,  along  with  this 
feeling  of  the  secretion  of  morbid  matter,  as  to 
make  it  impossible  to  speak  without  swallowing  at 
every  second  or  third  word.  This  is  felt  even  in 
conversation,  and  there  is  a great  disinclination  to 
attempt  to  speak  at  all.  In  many  instances  in 
which  the  throat  has  been  supposed  to  give  wa)^ 
from  other  causes,  I have  known  this  to  be  the 
I real  one.  May  it  not  be  that  the  general  irritation 
always  produced  by  the  habit  referred  to,  shows 
itself  .also  in  this  organ,  and  more  fully  in  those 
who  are  required  habitually  to  exercise  it  ? ” 

Nervous  Diseases. — There  is  no  end  to  the  nerv- 
ous affections  to  which  the  sufferer  from  this  vice 
is  subject.  Headaches,  neuralgias,  symptoms  re- 
sembling hysteria,  sudden  alternations  of  heat  and 
cold,  irregular  flushing  of  the  face,  and  many  other 
affections,  some  of  the  more  important  of  which  we 

!!  wiU  mention  in  detail,  are  his  constant  companions. 

Epilepsy. — This  disease  has  Jbeen  traced  to  the 
vile  habit  under  consideration  in  so  many  cases 
that  it  is  now  veiy  certain  that  in  many  instances 
this  is  its  origin.  It  is  of  frequent  occurrence  in 
I those  who  have  indulged  in  solitary  vice  or  any 

I other  form  of  sexual  excess.  We  have  seen  several 

I cases  of  this  kind. 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


869 


Failure  of  Special  Senses.  Spinal  Irritation. 

Failure  of  Special  Senses. — Dimness  of  vision, 
amaurosis,  spots  before  the  eyes,  witli  other  forms 
of  ocular  weakness,  are  common  results  of  this  vice. 
The  same  degeneration  and  premature  failure  occur 
in  the  organs  of  hearing.  In  fact,  sensibility  of  all 
the  senses  becomes  in  some  measure  diminished  in 
old  cases. 

Spinal  Irritation. — Irritation  of  the  spinal  cord, 
with  its  resultant  evils,  is  one  of  the  most  common 
of  the  nervous  affections  originating  in  this  cause. 
Tenderness  of  the  spine,  numerous  pains  in  the 
limbs,  and  spasmodic  twitching  of  the  muscles,  are 
some  of  its  results.  Paralysis,  partial  or  complete, 
of  the  lower  limbs,  and  even  of  the  whole  body,  is 
not  a rare  occurrence.  We  have  seen  two  cases  in 
which  this  was  well  marked.  Both  patients  were 
small  boys  and  began  to  excite  the  genital  organs 
at  a very  early  age.  In  one,  the  paralytic  condi- 
tion was  complete  when  he  was  held  erect.  The 
head  fell  forward,  the  arms  and  limbs  hung  down 
helpless,  the  eyes  rolled  upward,  and  the  saliva 
dribbled  from  his  mouth.  When  lying  flat  upon 
his  back,  he  had  considerable  control  of  his  limbs. 
In  this  case,  a condition  of  priapism  seems  to  have 
existed  almost  from  birth,  owing  to  congenital 
phimosis.  His  condition  was  somewhat  improved 
by  circumcision.  In  the  other  case,  in  which  phi- 
mosis also  existed,  there  was  paralysis  of  a few  of 
the  muscles  of  the  leg,  which  produced  club-foot. 
Circumcision  was  also  performed  in  this  case  and 
24 


870 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOll 


Paralysis.  Insanity. 

the  child  returned  in  a few  weeks  completely  cured, 
without  any  other  application,  though  it  had  pre- 
viously been  treated  in  a great  variety  of  ways 
without  success,  all  the  usual  remedies  for  club-foot 
proving  ineffectual.  Both  of  these  cases  appeared 
in  the  clinic  of  Dr.  Sayi'e  at  Bellevue  Hospital,  and 
were  operated  upon  by  him. 

We  have  recently  observed  several  cases  of  spinal 
disease  which  could  be  traced  to  no  origin  but  mas- 
turbation. Two  patients  were  small  boys,  naturally 
quite  intelligent.  They  manifested  all  the  peculiar- 
ities of  loco-motor  ataxia  in  older  persons,  walking 
with  the  characteristic  gait.  The  disease  was  stead- 
ily progressing  in  spite  of  all  attempts  to  stay  it. 
An  older  brother  had  died  of  the  same  malady,  par- 
alysis extending  over  the  whole  body,  and  finally 
preventing  deglutition,  so  that  he  really  starved  to 
death. 

Insanity. — That  solitary  ^dce  is  one  of  the  most 
common  causes  of  insanity,  is  a fact  too  well  estab- 
lished to  need  demonstration  here.  Every  lunatic 
asylum  furnishes  numerous  illustrations  of  the  fact. 
“ Authors  are  universally  agreed,  from  Galen  down 
to  the  present  day,  about  the  pernicious  influence 
of  this  enervating  indulgence,  and  its  strong  pro- 
pensity to  generate  the  very  worst  and  most  for- 
midable kinds  of  insanity.  It  has  frequently  been 
known  to  occasion  speedy,  and  even  instant,  in- 
sanity.”* 


■*  Arnold. 


OLD  AND  TOUNO. 


371 


Keligious  lusanity.  Imbecility  and  Idiocy. 

“ Religious  insanity,”  so-called,  may  justly  be  at- 
tributed to  this  cause  in  a great  proportion  of  cases. 
The  individual  is  conscience-smitten  in  view  of  his 
horrid  sins,  and  a view  of  his  terrible  condition — 
ruined  for  both  worlds,  he  fears — goads  him  to  de- 
spair, and  his  weakened  intellect  fails ; reason  is 
dethroned,  and  he  becomes  a hopeless  lunatic.  His 
friends,  knowing  nothing  of  the  real  cause  of  his 
mysterious  confessions  of  terrible  sin,  think  him 
over-conscientious,  and  lay  the  blame  of  his  insan- 
ity upon  religion,  when  it  is  solely  the  result  of  his 
vicious  habits,  of  which  they  are  ignorant. 

In  other  cases,  the  victim  falls  into  a profound 
melancholy  from  which  nothing  can  divert  him. 
He  never  laughs,  does  not  even  smile.  He  becomes 
more  and  more  reserved  and  taciturn,  and  perhaps 
ends  the  scene  by  committing  suicide.  This  crime 
is  not  at  all  uncommon  with  those  who  have  gone 
the  whole  length  of  the  road  of  evil.  They  find 
their  manhood  gone,  the  vice  in  which  they  have  so 
long  delighted  is  no  longer  possible,  and,  in  desper- 
ation, they  put  an  end  to  the  miserable  life  which 
nature  might  lengthen  out  a few  months  if  not  thus 
violently  superseded. 

If  the  practice  is  continued  uninterruptedly  from 
boyhood  to  manhood,  imbecility  and  idiocy  are  the 
results.  Demented  individuals  are  met  in  no  small 
numbers  inside  of  hospitals  and  asylums,  and  out- 
side as  well,  who  owe  to  this  vice  their  awful  con- 
dition. Plenty  of  half-witted  men  whom  one  meets 


372  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

A Victim’s  Mental  Condition  Pictured.  Incapacity  of  Mind. 

in  the  every-day  walks  of  life  have  destroyed  the 
better  half  of  their  understanding  by  this  wretched 
practice. 

A Victim’s  Mental  Condition  Pictured. — The 
mental  condition  of  a victim  of  this  vice  can- 
not be  better  described  than  is  done  in  the  follow- 
ing paragraphs  by  one  himself  a victim,  though  few 
of  these  unfortunate  individuals  would  be  able  to 
produce  so  accurate  and  critical  a portrait  of  them- 
selves as  is  here  drawn  by  M.  Rousseau,  as  quoted 
by  Mr.  Acton  : — 

“ One  might  say  that  my  heart  and  my  mind 
do  not  belong  to  the  same  person.  My  feelings, 
quicker  than  lightning,  fill  my  soul ; but  instead  of 
illuminating,  they  burn  and  dazzle  me.  I feel 
everything.  I see  nothing.  I am  excited,  but 
stupid ; I cannot  think  except  in  cold  blood.  The 
wonderful  thing  is  that  I have  sound  enough  tact, 
penetration,  even  finesse,  if  people  will  wait  for  me. 
I make  excellent  impromptus  at  leisure  ; but  at  the 
moment  I have  nothing  ready  to  say  or  do.  I 
should  converse  brilliantly  by  post,  as  they  say  the 
Spaniards  play  at  chess.  When  I read  of  a Duke 
of  Savoy  who  turned  back  after  starting  on  his 
journey  to  say,  ‘ In  your  teeth ! you  Paris  shop- 
keeper ! ’ I said,  ‘ That  is  like  me  ! ’ ” 

“ But  not  only  is  it  a labor  to  me  to  express,  but 
also  to  receive,  ideas.  I have  studied  men,  and  I 
tliink  I am  a tolerably  good  observer ; yet  I can  see 
nothing  of  what  I do  see.  I can  hardly  say  that  I 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


87?! 


Effects  in  Females.  Local  Diseases. 

see  anything  except  what  I recall ; I have  no  power 
of  mind  but  in  my  recollection.  Of  all  that  is  said, 
of  all  that  is  done,  of  all  that  passes  in  my  pres- 
ence, I feel  nothing,  I appreciate  nothing.  The  ex- 
ternal sign  is  all  that  strikes  me.  But  after  a while 
it  all  comes  back  to  me.” 

EFFECTS  IN  FEJIALES. 

Local  Effects. — The  local  diseases  produced  by 
the  vice  in  females  are,  of  course,  of  a different 
nature  from  those  seen  in  males,  on  account  of  the 
difference  in  organization.  They  arise,  however,  in 
the  same  way,  congestions  at  first  temporary  ulti- 
mately becoming  permanent  and  resulting  in  irri- 
tation and  various  disorders. 

Leucorriioea. — The  results  of  congestion  first 
appear  in  the  mucous  membrane  lining  the  vagina, 
which  is  also  injured  by  mechanical  irritation,  and 
consists  of  a catarrhal  discharge  which  enervates 
the  system.  By  degrees  the  discharge  increases  in 
quantity  and  virulence,  extending  backward  until 
it  reaches  the  sensitive  womb. 

Contact  with  the  acrid,  irritating  secretions  of 
the  vagina  produces  soreness  of  the  fingers  at  the 
roots  of  the  nails,  and  also  frequently  causes  warts 
upon  the  fingers.  Hence  the  value  of  these  signs, 
as  previously  mentioned. 

Uterine  Disease. — Congestion  of  the  womb  is 
also  produced  by  the  act  of  abuse;  and  as  the 
habit  is  continued,  it  also  becomes  permanent. 


374 


PLAIN  PACTS  FOP. 


Cancer.  Sterility.  Pmritns. 

This  congestion,  together  with  the  contact  of  the 
acrid  vaginal  discharge,  finally  produces  ulceration 
upon  the  neck,  together  with  other  diseases. 

Another  result  of  congestion  is  all  kinds  of  men- 
strual derangements  after  puberty,  the  occurrence 
of  which  epoch  is  hastened  by  the  habit.  Prolap- 
sus and  various  displacements  are  produced  in 
addition  to  menstrual  irregularities. 

Cancer  of  the  Womb. — Degeneration  of  this 
delicate  organ  also  occurs  as  the  result  of  the 
constant  irritation  and  congestion,  and  is  often 
of  a malignant  nature,  occasioning  a most  painful 
death. 

Sterilitj'. — Sterility,  dependent  on  a .total  loss 
of  sexual  desire  and  inability  to  participate  in  the 
sexual  a,pt,  is  another  condition  which  is  declared 
by  medical  authors  to  be  most  commonly  due  to 
previous  habits  of  self-abuse.  In  consequence  of 
overexcitement  the  organs  become  relaxed. 

Atrophy  of  MammaB. — Closely  connected  with 
other  local  results  is  the  deficient  development  of 
the  breasts  when  the  rice  is  begun  before  or  at 
puberty,  and  atrophy  if  it  is  begun  or  continued 
after  development  has  occurred.  As  previously  re- 
marked, this  is  not  the  sole  cause  of  small  mammje, ,, 
‘ but  it  is  one  of  the  great  causes. 

Pruritus. — This  is  an  afieetion  not  infrequent 
in  these  subjects.  Continued  congestion  produces  a 
terrible  itching  of  the  genitals,  which  increases  un- 
til the  indiAudual  is  in  a state  of  actual  frenzy,  and 


General  Effects. 


A Common  Cause  of  Hysteria. 


the  disposition  to  manipulate  the  genitals  becomes 
irresistible,  and  is  indulged  even  in  the  presence  of 
friends  or  strangers,  and  though  the  patient  be  at 
other  times  a young  woman  of  unexceptionable 
modesty.  In  cases  of  this  kind,  great  hypertrophy 
of  the  organ  of  greatest  sensibility  has  been  ob- 
served, and  in  some  cases  amputation  of  the  part 
has  been  found  the  only  cure. 

General  Eifects. — The  general  effects  in  the 
female  are  much  the  same  as  those  in  the  male. 
Although  women  suffer  no  seminal  loss,  they  suffer 
the  debilitating  effects  of  leucorrhoea,  which  is  in 
some  degree  injurious  in  the  same  manner  as  sem- 
inal losses  in  the  male.  But  in  females  the  great- 
est injury  results  from  the  nervous  exhaustion 
which  follows  the  unnatural  excitement.  Nervous 
diseases  of  every  variety  are  developed.  Emacia- 
tion and  debility  become  more  marked  even  than 
in  the  male,  and  the  worst  results  are  produced 
sooner,  being  hastened  by  the  sedentary  habits  of 
these  females,  generally.  Insanity  is  more  fre- 
quently developed  than  in  males.  Spinal  irritation 
is  so  frequent  a result  that  a recent  surgical  author 
has  said  that' “spinal  irritation  in  girls  and  women 
is,  in  a majority  of  cases,  due  to  self-abuse.”  * 

A Common  Cause  of  Hysteria. — This,  too,  is 
one  of  the  most  frequent  causes  of  hysteria,  chorea, 
and  epilepsy  among  young  women,  though  not 
often  recognized.^ 


* Davis. 


OLD  AND  TO  UNO. 


377 


Effects  upon  Offspring.  A Fatal  Mistake. 

congenital  maladies,  especially  of  tlie  nervous  sys- 
tem, to  idiocy  from  deficient  development  of  the 
brain,  to  hydrocephalus,  to  epilepsy,  convulsions, 
palsy.  The  scrofulous  diathesis,  tubercular  and 
glandular  maladies,  diseases  of  the  vertebrae  and  of 
the  joints,  softening  of  the  central  portions  of  the 
brain,  and  tuberculous  formations  in  the  mem- 
branes, palsy  and  convulsions,  chorea,  inflamma- 
tions of  the  membranes  or  substance  of  the  brain 
or  spinal  cord,  and  numerous  other  affections  to 
which  infants  and  children  are  liable,  very  com- 
monly result  from  the  practice  of  self-pollution  by 
either  of  the  parents  previous  to  marriage.  But 
the  evil  does  not  always  stop  at  this  epoch  of  ex- 
istence, it  often  extends  throughout  the  life  of  the 
offspring,  or  it  appears  only  with  puberty  and  ma- 
ture age.” 

Too  frequently,  the  victim  of  self -abuse,  when 
he  finds  himself  sufiering  from  the  first  results  of 
his  sin,  neglects  to  adopt  any  measures  for  the  cure 
of  the  disease.  Not  understanding  its  inveterate 
character,  he  labors  under  the  delusion  that  it  will 
cure  itself  in  time.  This  is  a fatal  mistake.  The 
diseased  conditions  induced  by  this  vice  never  im- 
prove them.selves.  Their  constant  tendency  is  to 
increase  in  virulence  and  inveteracy.  The  ne- 
cessity of  taking  prompt  measures  for  relief  is  too 
apparent  to  nead  especial  emphasis. 


378 


PLAIN  PACTS  FOP 


Treatment  of  Self-Abuse. 


Prevention. 


Treatment  of  Self-Abuse  and 
ITS  Effects. 

After  having  duly  considered  the  causes  and 
effects  of  this  terrible  evil,  the  question  next  in 
order  for  consideration  is,  How  shall  it  he  cured  ? 
When  a person  has,  through  ignorance  or  weak- 
ness, brought  upon  himself  the  terrible  effects  de- 
scribed, how  shall  he  find  relief  from  his  ills,  if 
restoration  is  possible  ? To  the  answer  of  these 
inquiries,  most  of  the  remaining  pages  of  this  work 
will  be  devoted.  But  before  entering  upon  a de- 
scription of  methods  of  cure,  a brief  consideration 
of  the  subject  of  ‘prevention  of  the  habit  will  be  in 
order. 

PKEVENTION  OF  SECEET  VICE. 

For  the  rising  generation,  those  yet  innocent  of 
the  evil  practices  so  abundant  in  this  age  of  sensu- 
ality, how  the  evil  habit  may  be  prevented  is  the 
most  important  of  all  questions  connected  with 
this  subject.  This  topic  should  be  especially  inter- 
esting to  parents,  for  even  those  who  are  them- 
selves sensual  have  seen  enough  of  the  evils  of 
such  a life  to  wish  that  their  children  may  remain 
pure.  There  are,  indeed,  rare  exceptions  to  this 
i-ule,  for  we  sometimes  learn  of  parents  who  have 
deliberately  led  their  OAvn  children  into  vice,  as 
though  they  desired  to  make  them  share  their 
shame  and  damnation. 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


879 


Cultivate  Chastity.  Timely  Warning. 

Cultivate  Chastity. — From  earliest  infancy  all 
of  those  influences  and  agencies  which  cultivate 
chastity  should  be  brought  into  active  exercise. 
These  we  need  not  repeat  here,  having  previously 
dwelt  upon  them  so  fully.  The  reader  is  recom- 
mended to  re-peruse  the  portion  of  the  work  de- 
voted to  this  subject,  in  connection  with  the  present 
section.  If  parents  have  themselves  indulged  in 
this  vice,  they  should  use  special  care  that  all  of 
the  generative  and  gestative  influences  brought  to 
bear  upon  their  children  are  the  purest  possible,  so 
that  they  may  not  inherit  a predisposition  to  sin 
in  this  direction. 

Special  care  should  be  exercised  to  avoid  corrupt 
servants  and  associates.  Every  servant  not  known 
to  be  pure  should  be  suspected  until  proof  of  inno- 
cence has  been  established.  They  should  be  espe- 
cially instructed  of  the  evil  arising  from  manipula- 
tion of  the  genitals  even  in  infants,  as  they  may 
do  immense  harm  through  simple  ignorance. 

Timely  Warning. — But,  in  spite  of  chaste  sur- 
roundings and  all  other  favorable  circumstances,  if 
the  child  is  left  in  ignorance  of  his  danger,  he  may 
yet  fall  a victim  to  the  devices  of  servants  or  cor- 
rupt playmates,  or  may  himself  make  a fatal  dis- 
covery, Hence  arises  the  duty  of  warning  children 
of  the  evil  before  the  habit  has  been  formed.  This 
is  a duty  that  parents  seldom  perform  even  when 
they  are  not  unaware  of  the  danger.  They  in  some 
way  convince  themselves  that  their  children  are 


380  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Unreasonable  Delicacy.  Knowledge  May  Save  from  Kuin. 

pure,  at  least,  even  if  others  are  corrupt.  It  is 
often  the  most  difficult  thing  in  the  world  for  pa- 
rents to  comprehend  the  fact  that  their  children 
are  not  the  best  children  in  the  "^orld,  perfect  par- 
agons of  purity  and  innocence.  There  is  an  unac- 
coimtahle  and  unreasonable  delicacy  on  the  part  of 
parents  about  speaking  of  sexual  subjects  to  their 
children.  In  consequence,  their  young,  inquisitive 
minds  are  left  wholly  in  ignorance  rmless,  per- 
chance, they  gain  information  from  some  vile  source. 

Objections  are  raised  against  talking  to  children 
or  young  persons  about  matters  in  any  degree  per- 
taining to  the  sexual  organs  or  functions.  Some 
of  the  more  important  of  them  are  considered  in 
the  introduction  to  this  work,  and  we  need  not 
repeat  here. 

The  little  one  should  be  taught  from  earliest  in- 
fancy to  abstain  from  handling  the  genitals,  being 
made  to  regard  it  as  a very  improper  act.  When 
the  child  becomes  old  enough  to  understand  and 
reason,  he  may  be  further  informed  of  the  effil  con- 
sequences ; then,  as  he  becomes  older,  the  functions 
of  the  organs  may  be  explained  with  sufficient  full- 
ness to  satisfy  his  natural  craffing  for  knowledge. 

If  this  course  were  pursued,  how  many  might 
be  saved  from  ruin!  It  is,  of  course,  necessary 
that  the  parents  shall  themselves  be  acquainted 
' with  the  true  functions  of  the  organs  before  they 
attempt  to  teach  any  one  else,  especially  children. 
Many  parents  might  receive  benefit  from  being 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


381 


Consequences  of  Ignorance.  A Terrible  Picture. 

obliged  to  “ study  up  ; ” for  it  is  a lamentable  fact, 
the  ill  effects  of  which  are  every  day  seen,  that  a 
great  many  people  have  spent  a very  large  portion 
of  their  lives  without  ever  ascertaining  the  true 
function  of  the  reproductive  organs,  though  living 
in  matrimony  for  many  years.  Seme  of  the  conse- 
quences of  this  ignorance  have  been  portrayed  in 
previous  pages. 

“ Oh  ! why  did  not  some  kind  friend  tell  me  of 
the  harm  I was  doing  myself  ? ” has  been  the  ex- 
clamation of  many  an  unfortunate  sufferer  froui 
this  vice.  A warning  voice  should  be  raised  to 
save  those  who  are  ignorantly  working  their  own 
destruction.  Parents,  teachers,  ministers,  all  who 
have  access  to  the  youth,  should  sound  the  note  of 
alarm  in  their  ears,  that  if  possible  they  may  be 
saved  from  the  terrible  thralldom  pictured  by  a 
writer  in  the  following  lines : — 

“ The  waters  have  gone  over  me.  But  out  of 
the  black  depths,  could  I be  heal’d,  I would  cry  to 
all  those  who  have  set  a foot  in  the  perilous  flood. 
Could  the  youth  look  into  my  desolation,  and  be 
made  to  understand  what  a dreary  thing  it  is  when 
a man  shall  feel  himself  going  down  a precipice 
with  open  eyes  and  passive  will — to  see  his  de- 
struction and  have  no  power  to  stop  it,  and  yet  to 
feel  it  all  the  way  emanating  from  himself ; to 
perceive  all  goodness  emptied  c«it  of  him,  and  yet 
not  be  able  to  forget  a time  when  it  was  otherwise ; 
to  bear  about  with  him  the  spectacle  of  his  own 


382  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

The  Evil  not  Easily  Undone.  Cure  of  the  Habit. 

self-ruin ; could  he  feel  the  body  of  death  out  of 
which  I cry  hourly  with  feebler  and  feebler  outcry 
to  be  delivered.” 

CURATIVE  TREATMENT  OF  THE  EFFECTS 
OF  SELF-ABUSE. 

When  the  habit  and  its  efiects  are  of  very  short 
duration,  a cure  is  very  readily  accomplished,  es- 
pecially in  the  cases  of  children  and  females,  as  in 
them  the  evils  begun  are  not  continued  in  the  form 
of  involuntary  pollutions.  In  cases  of  longer  stand- 
I ing  in  males,  the  task  is  more  difficult,  but  still  the 

prospect  of  recovery  is  very  favorable,  provided 
the  cooperation  of  the  patient  can  be  secured ; 
without  this,  little  can  be  done.  But  in  these 
cases  the  patient  may  as  well  be  told  at  the  outset 
that  the  task  of  undoing  the  evil  work  of  years  of 
sin  is  no  easy  matter.  It  can  only  be  accomplished 
by  determined  effort,  by  steady  perseverance  in 
right  doing,  and  in  the  application  of  necessary 
remedies.  Those  who  have  long  practiced  the  vice, 
or  long  suffered  severely  from  its  effects,  have  re- 
ceived an  injury  which  will  inevitably  be  life-long 
to  a greater  or  lesser  extent  in  spite  of  all  that  can 
be  done  for  them.  Yet  such  need  not  despair,  for 
they  may  receive  inestimable  benefit  by  the  pre- 
I vention  of  greater  damage,  which  they  are  sure  to 

suffer  if  the  disease  is  allowed  to  go  unchecked. 

Cure  of  the  Habit. — The  preliminary  step  in 
treatment  is  always  to  cure  the  %dce  itself  if  it  still 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


383 


The  Hahit  in  Children.  Useful  Preventive  Measures. 

exists.  The  methods  adopted  for  this  purpose  must 
differ  according  to  the  age  of  the  individual  patient. 

In  children,  especially  those  who  have  recently 
acquired  the  habit,  it  can  be  broken  up  by  admon- 
ishing them  of  its  sinfulness,  and  portraying  in 
vivid  colors  its  terrible  results,  if  the  child  is  old 
enough  to  comprehend  such  admonitions.  In  addi- 
tion to  faithful  warnings,  the  attention  of  the  child 
should  be  fully  occupied  by  work,  study,  or  pleas- 
ant recreation.  He  should  not  be  left  alone  at  any 
time,  lest  he  yield  to  temptation.  Work  is  an  ex- 
cellent remedy;  work  that  will  really  make  him 
very  tired,  so  that  when  he  goes  to  bed  he  will 
have  no  disposition  to  defile  himself.  It  is  best  to 
place  such  a child  under  the  care  of  a faithful  per- 
son of  older  years,  whose  special  duty  it  shall  be  to 
Avateh  him  niglff  and  day  until  the  habit  is  thor- 
oughly overcome. 

In  younger  children,  with  whom  moral  consider- 
ations will  have  no  particular  weight,  other  devices 
may  be  used.  Bandaging  the  parts  has  been  prac- 
ticed with  success.  Tying  the  hands  is  also  suc- 
cessful in  some  cases ; but  this  will  not  always 
succeed,  for  they  will  often  contrive  to  continue 
the  habit  in  other  ways,  as  by  working  the  limbs, 
or  lying  upon  the  abdomen.  Covering  the  organs 
with  a cage  has  been  practiced  with  entire  success. 
A rernedy  which  is  almost  alwayssuccessfuT^n 
small  boys  is  circumcision,  especially  when  thert 
is  any  degree  of  phimosis.  The  operation  should 


384?  PLAIN  FACTS  FOP 

Moral  Considerations.  Representation  of  the  Danger. 

be  performed  by  a surgeon  without  administering 
an  anaesthetic,  as  the  brief  pain  attending  the  oper- 
ation will  have  a salutary  effect  upon  the  mind, 
fcspecially  if  it  be  connected  with  the  idea  of  pun- 
ishment, as  it  may  well  be  in  some  cases.  The 
soreness  which  continues  for  several  weeks  inter- 
rupts the  practice,  and  if  it  had  not  previously  be- 
come too  firmly  fixed,  it  may  be  forgotten  and  not 
resumed.  If  any  attempt  is  made  to  w'atch  the 
child,  he  should  be  so  carefully  surrounded  by  vig- 
ilance that  he  cannot  possibly  transgTess  without 
detection.  If  he  is  only  partially  watched,  he  soon 
learns  to  elude  observation,  and  thus  the  efiect  is 
only  to  make  him  cunning  in  his  vice. 

In  adults,  or  youths,  a different  plan  must  be 
pursued.  In  these  cases,  moral  considerations,  and 
the  inevitable  consequences  to  health  of  body  and 
mind,  are  the  chief  influences  by  which  a reform  is 
to  be  effected,  if  at  all.  These  considerations  may 
be  urged  with  all  possible  eloquence  and  earnest- 
ness, but  should  not  be  exaggerated.  The  truth  is 
terrible  enough.  If  there  are  any  special  influences 
which  may  be  brought  to  bear  upon  a particular 
individual, — and  there  always  will  be  something  of 
this  sort  owing  to  peculiarities  of  temperament  or 
circumstances, — these  should  be  promptly  employed 
and  applied  in  such  a manner  as  to  secure  for  them 
their  full  bearing. 

But  after  all,  the  most  must  be  done  by  the 
individual  himself.  All  that  others  can  do  for 


OLD  AND  TO  UNO. 


3S5 


Self-Helps.  Eesolutions  to  Reform. 

him  is  to  surround  him  with  favoring  circum- 
stances and  arouse  him  to  a proper  sense  of  his  real 
condition  and  danger.  If  this  can  he  thoroughly 
accomplished,  there  is  much  reason  to  hope  ; hut  if 
the  individual  has  become  so  lost  to  all  sense  of 
purity,  all  aspirations  toward  good  and  nohle  ob- 
jects, that  he  cannot  be  made  to  feel  the  need  of 
reformation,  his  case  is  hopeless. 

How  May  a Person  Help  Himself? — The  fol- 
lowing suggestions  will  be  found  useful  in  fighting 
the  battle  with  vice  and  habit : — 

1.  Begin  by  a resolution  to  reform,  strengthened 
by  the  most  solemn  vows. 

2.  Resolve  to  reform  now ; not  to-morrow  or  next 
week,  but  this  very  minute.  Thousands  have  sunk 
to  perdition  while  resolving  to  indulge  “ only  this 
once.” 

3.  Begin  the  work  of  reform  by  purging  the 
mind.  If  a lewd  thought  enters  the  mind,  dispel 
it  at  once.  Cultivate  a loathing  for  concupiscence. 
Never  harbor  such  ideas  for  an  instant,  for  they 
will  surely  lead  to  the  overt  act.  If,  perchance,  the 
physical  sin  should  not  be  committed,  the  thought 
itself  is  sin,  and  it  leaves  a physical  as  well  as  a 
moral  scar  almost  as  deep  and  hideous  as  that  in- 
flicted by  the  grosser  crime. 

4.  As  a help  to  purity  of  mind,  whenever  im- 
pure thoughts  enter,  immediately  direct  the  mind 
upon  the  purest  object  with  which  you  are  ac- 
quainted. Flee  from  the  special  exciting  cause,  if 

25 


386 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 


Hopeful  Courage.  General  Hegirnen  and  Treatment. 

there  is  one,  and  engage  in  some  active  labor  or 
other  exercise  that  will  divert  the  mind  into  another 
channel. 

5.  Avoid  solitude,  for  then  it  is  that  temptation 
comes,  and  you  are  most  likely  to  fail.  Avoid 
equally  all  other  causes  which  may  lead  to  the  act. 

6.  Strictly  comply  with  all  the  rules  laid  down 
for  the  cultivation  of  chastity  and  the  maintenance 
of  continence. 

7.  Above  all,  seek  for  grace  and  help  from  the 
Source  of  all  spiritual  strength  in  every  time  of 
temptation,  relying  upon  the  promise,  “ Seek,  and 
ye  shall  fmd.” 

Hopeful  Courage. — An  individual  who  will  ear- 
nestly set  himself  about  the  work  of  purifying  his 
mind  and  redeeming  his  body,  if  he  will  conscien- 
tiously adopt,  and  perseveringly  apply,  the  reme- 
dies pointed  out,  may  he  sure  of  success.  There  can 
be  no  possible  chance  for  failure.  Triumph  is  cer- 
tain. Patience  may  be  tried  and  faith  tested,  but 
unAvavering  trust  in  God  and  nature,  and  an  exe- 
cuted determination  to  do  all  on  his  part,  will  bring 
to  every  such  one  certain  recovery.  There  may  be 
some  scars  left,  a few  traces  of  the  injury  Avi'ought ; 
but  the  deliverance  will  be  none  the  less  triumphant. 
Faith  and  perseverance  will  work  wonders. 

General  Regimen  and  Treatment. — ^After  long 
abuse  of  the  sexual  organs,  and  in  many  cases  after 
a short  course  of  sin,  the  whole  system  becomes  de- 
teriorated; digestion  is  impaired,  the  muscles  a.e 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


oc*" 

Mental  and  Moral  Treatment.  Mental  Sin  a Great  Impediment. 

weakened,  the  circulation  is  unbalanced,  the  nerves 
are  irritable,  the  brain — especially  the  back  and 
lower  portion  of  it — is  congested,  the  skin  is  torpid, 
the  boAvels  are  inactive,  the  general  health  is  de- 
ranged in  almost  every  particular.  All  of  these 
morbid  conditions  serve  to  keep  up  the  very  diffi- 
culty which  has  produced  and  is  increasing  them. 
Any  curative  effort,  to  be  effective,  then,  must  be 
directed  to  these  as  well  as  to  local  conditions ; and 
it  is  pretty  certainly  established  that  local  remedies 
or  applications  alone  will  rarely  accomplish  any  ap- 
preciable good,  at  least  of  a permanent  character. 

Many  of  the  observations  on  treatment  are 
equally  applicable  to  both  sexes ; but  particular  di- 
rections have  been  especially  adapted  to  males,  and 
chiefly  with  the  cure  of  seminal  emissions  as  the 
object  in  view.  This  remark  will  explain  any  seem- 
ing lack  of  completeness. 

Mental  and  Moral  Treatment. — The  greatest 
impediment  to  recovery  is  usually  found  in  the  mind 
of  the  patient.  His  hopeless  despair,  melancholy, 
sullen  apathy  in  many  cases,  want  of  energy,  and 
fickleness  of  mind,  thwart  all  attempts  that  are 
made  for  him.  In  other  cases,  the  want  of  will- 
power, or  neglect  to  exercise  the  'will  in  controlling 
the  thoughts,  completely  counteracts  all  that  can 
be  done  for  him.  He  must  be  made  to  understand 
this  well,  and  then  all^  possible  means  must  be  em- 
ployed to  attract  his  attention  from  himself,  from 
brooding  over  his  ills.  Occupy  him,  interest  him. 


388 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 


Control  of  the  Thoughts  Important.  Difficult,  but  act  Impossible. 

or  teach  him  to  occupy  and  interest  himself.  The 
enthusiastic  study  of  some  one  of  the  natural  sci- 
ences is  a most  excellent  auxiliary  in  effecting  this. 

The  thing  of  first  importance  is  that  the  patient 
should  obtain  command  of  his  thoughts ; by  this 
means,  he  can  do  more  for  himself  than  all  the  doc- 
tors can  do  for  him.  “ But  I cannot  control  my 
thoughts,”  says  the  patient.  A young  man  said 
to  me,  ■“  0 doctor,  you  do  n’t  know  how  I feel.  I 
despise  myself ; I hate  myself ; I often  feel  inclined 
to  kill  myself.  My  mind  is  always  full  of  abom- 
inable images ; my  thoughts  run  away  with  me  and 
I cannot  help  myself.”  The  tears  ran  down  his  face 
in  streams  as  he  told  me  of  his  slavery.  He  sol- 
emnly affirmed  that  he  had  never  performed  the 
act  of  self-pollution  but  once  in  his  life : and  yet 
for  years  he  had  been  a constant  sufferer  from  noc- 
turnal emissions  until  his  manhood  was  nearly  lost, 
evidently  the  result  of  the  mental  onanism  which 
he  had  practiced  without  imagining  the  possibility 
of  harm. 

But  it  i§  not  true  that  control  of  the  thoughts  is. 
impossible.  Thoughts  are  the  result  of  the  action 
of  the  brain ; and  the  action  of  the  brain  may  be 
controlled  as  well  as  the  movements  of  a voluntary 
muscle.  It  may  be  more  difficult,  especially  when 
the  resolution  is  weakened,  as  it  is  by  this  ffice ; 
but  so  long  as  there  are  left  any  remnants  of  will 
and  reason,  control  is  possible.  To  strengthen  the 
will  must  be  one  of  the  objects  of  mental  treatment. 


OLD  AND  TOUNO. 


S89 


The  Worth  cf  True  Keligion.  Physical  Exercise. 

and  exercise  is  the  method  by  which  it  may  be  ac- 
complished. The  thing  for  a sufferer  to  say,  is 
not,  “ I can’t,”  but,  “ I can  and  I will  control  my 
thoughts.”  Suggestions  which  will  aid  in  accom- 
plishing this  have  already  been  given  under  the 
heading,  “ Cure  of  the  Habit.” 

We  cannot  forbear  to  add  a word  further  respect- 
ing the  worth  of  religion  in  aiding  these  sufferers. 
If  there  is  any  living  creature  who  needs  the  help 
of  true  religion,  of  faith  in  God,  in  Christ,  and  in 
the  efficacy  of  prayer,  it  is  one  of  these.  If  there 
is  any  poor  mortal  who  can  not  afford  to  be  de- 
prived of  the  aid  of  a sympathizing  Saviour,  it  is 
one  who  has  enervated  his  will,  degraded  his  soul, 
and  depraved  his  body  by  the  vile  habit  of  self- 
abuse. A compassionate  Redeemer  will  succor  even 
these  defiled  ones,  if  they  truly  “ hunger  and  thirst” 
after  purity,  and  if  they  set  about  the  work  of  re- 
forming themselves  in  good  earnest,  and  with  right 
motives. 

Exercise. — Physical  exercise  is  a most  powerful 
aid  to  pure  thoughts.  When  unchaste  ideas  in- 
trude, engage  at  once  in  something  which  will  de- 
mand energetic  muscular  exercise.  Pursue  the  ef- 
fort until  fatigued,  if  necessary,  making,  all  the 
while,  a powerful  mental  effort  to  control  the  mind. 
Of  course,  evil  thoughts  will  not  be  expelled  by 
thinking  of  them,  but  by  displacing  them  by  pure 
thoughts.  Exercise  aids  this  greatly. 

Exercise  is  also  essential  to  balance  the  circula- 


390 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 


Pleasant  Companionship.  Importance  of  Proper  Diet. 

tion,  and  thus  relieve  congestion  of  internal  organs. 
Sedentary  persons  especially  need  systematic  exer- 
cise. No  single  form  of  exercise  is  so  excellent  as 
walking.  Four  or  five  miles  a day  are  none  too 
many  to  secure  a proper  amount  of  muscular  exer- 
cise. Gymnastics,  the  “ health-lift,”  “ Indian  clubs,” 
“ dumb-bells,”  rowing,  and  other  forms  of  exercise 
are  all  good ; hut  none  of  them  should  be  carried 
to  excess.  Ball-playing  is  likely  to  he  made  a source 
of  injury  hy  exciting,  in  vigorous  competition,  too 
violent  and  spasmodic  action. 

Daily  exercise  should  be  taken  to  the  extent  of 
fatigue.  It  is  better  that  those  who  are  stiU 
strong  enough  should  have  some  regular  employ- 
ment which  will  secure  exercise.  Those  who  pre- 
fer may  secure  exercise  and  recreation  in  the  pur- 
suit of  some  study  that  involves  necessary  physical 
exertion ; as,  botany,  geology,  or  entomology.  The 
collection  of  natural -history  specimens  is  one  of  the 
most  pleasant  diversions,  and  may  be  made  very 
useful  as  well. 

Pleasant  companionship  is  essential  to  the  best 
progress  of  these  patients,  especially  in  their  walks, 
as  much  moi'e  exercise  may  be  taken  without  an 
unpleasant  sense  of  fatigue  with  a cheerful  com- 
panion than  when  alone.  Solitude  should  be 
avoided  at  all  times  as  much  as  possible. 

Diet. — So  much  has  already  been  said  upon  the 
relation  of  diet  to  chastity  and  its  influence  upon 
the  sexual  organs  that  it  is  unnecessary  to  add  many 


(>LD  AND  YOUNG. 


391 


Belation  of  Food  and  Mind.  Precautions  in  Relation  to  Diet. 

remarks  here.  Nothing  could  be  more  untrue  than 
the  statement  made  by  some  authors  that  the  na- 
ture of  the  diet  is  of  no  consequence. 

The  science  of  physiology  teaches  that  our  very 
thoughts  are  born  of  what  we  eat.  A man  that 
lives  on  pork,  fine-flour  bread,  rich  pies  and  cakes, 
and  condiments,  drinks  tea  and  coffee  and  uses  to- 
bacco, might  as  well  try  to  fly  as  to  be  chaste  in 
thought.  He  will  accomplish  wonders  if  he  remains 
physically  chaste ; but  to  be  mentally  virtuous 
would  be  impossible  for  him  without  a miracle  of 
grace. 

One  whose  thoughts  have  been  so  long  trained 
in  the  filthy  ruts  of  vice  that  they  run  there  au- 
tomatically, and  naturally  gravitate  downward — 
such  a one  must  exercise  especial  care  to  secure  the 
most  simple,  pure,  and  unstimulating  diet. 

The  following  precautions  are  necessary  to  be  ob- 
served in  relation  to  diet : — 

1,  Never  overeat.  If  too  much  food  is  taken  at 
one  meal,  fast  the  next  meal  to  give  the  system  a 
chance  to  recover  itself  and  to  serve  as  a barrier 
against  future  transgressions  of  the  same  kind. 
Gluttony  is  fatal  to  chastity ; and  overeating  will 
be  certain  to  cause  emissions,  with  other  evils,  in 
one  whose  organs  are  weakened  by  abuse. 

2.  Eat  hut  twice  a day,  or,  if  supper  is  eaten,  let 
it  be  very  light,  and  of  the  most  simple  food,  as 
fruit,  or  fruit  and  bread.  Nothing  should  be  eaten 
within  four  or  five  hours  of  bed-time,  and  it  is 


392 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 


Stimulating  Foods.  Stimulating  Drinks. 

much  better  to  eat  nothins:  after  three  o’clock.  The 
ancients  ate  but  two  meals  a day;  why  should 
moderns  eat  three  or  four  ? If  the  stomach  con- 
tains undigested  food,  the  sleep  will  be  disturbed, 
dreams  will  be  more  abundant,  and  emissions  will 
be  frequent.  A most  imperative  rule  of  life  should 
be,  “ Never  go  to  bed  with  a loaded  stomach.”  The 
violation  of  this  rule  is  the  great  cause  of  horrid 
dreams  and  nightmare. 

3.  Discard  all  stimulating  food.  Under  this 
head  must  be  included,  spices,  pepper,  ginger, 
mustard,  cinnamon,  cloves,  essences,  all  condiments, 
salt,  pickles,  etc.,  together  with  animal  food  of  all 
kinds,  not  excepting  fish,  fowl,  oysters,  eggs,  and 
milk.  It  is  hardly  to  be  expected  that  all  who 
have  been  accustomed  to  use  these  articles  all  their 
lives  will  discard  them  wholly  at  once,  nor,  perhaps, 
that  many  will  ever  discard  them  entirely ; but 
it  would  be  better  for  them  to  do  so,  nevertheless. 
The  only  ones  which  should  be  tolerated  under  any 
circumstances  should  be  lean  beef  or  mutton,  salt 
in  very  moderate  quantities,  and  a moderate  use  of 
milk.  Use  as  little  of  these  as  possible — the  less  the 
better. 

4.  Stimulating  drinks  should  be  abstained  from 
with  still  greater  strictness.  Wine,  beer,  tea,  and 
coffee  should  be  taken  under  no  circumstances. 
The  influence  of  coffee  in  stimulating  the  genital 
organs  is  notorious.  Chocolate  should  be  discarded 
also.  It  is  recommended  by  some  who  suppose  it 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


893 


Tobacco.  Suggestions  about  Sleeping. 

to  be  harmless,  being  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  it 
contains  a poison  practically  identical  with  that  of 
tea  and  coffee. 

Hot  drinks  of  all  kinds  should  be  avoided. 

Tobacco,  another  stimulant,  though  not  a drink, 
should  be  totally  abandoned  at  once. 

5.  In  place  of  such  articles  as  have  been  con- 
demned, eat  fruits,  grains,  and  vegetables.  There  is 
a rich  variety  of  these  kinds  of  food,  and  they  are 
wholesome  and  unstimulating.  Graham  flour,  oat- 
meal, and  ripe  fruit  are  the  indispensables  of  a dieta- 
ry for  those  who  are  suffering  from  sexual  excesses. 

Further  remarks  upon  diet,  with  a few  useful 
recipes  for  preparing  healthful  food,  will  be  found 
in  works  devoted  to  the  subject  of  diet.*  The  pa- 
tient must  carefully  comply  with  all  the  rules  of  a 
healthy  diet  if  he  would  be  sure  of  recovery. 

Sleeping. — It  is  from  accidents  which  happen 
during  sleep  that  the  great  majority  of  sufferers 
complain ; hence  there  is  no  little  importance  at- 
taching to  this  subject.  The  following  suggestions 
present  in  a very  brief  manner  some  of  the  more 
practical  ideas  connected  with  this  part  of  the  sub- 
ject 

1.  From  seven  to  nine  hours’  sleep  are  required 
by  all  persons.  The  rule  should  be.  Retire  early 
and  sleep  until  rested.  Early  rising  is  not  bene- 
ficial unless  it  has  been  preceded  by  abundant  sleep. 

*See  “Healthful  Cookery,”  <?ood  HeaZl/i  Publishing  Company, 
Battle  Creek,  Mich. 


394  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Position  in  Sleeping.  Tarious  Helpful  Hints. 

2.  Arise  immediately  upon  waking  in  the  morn- 
ing if  it  is  after  four  o’clock.  A second  nap  is 
generally  unrefreshing,  and  is  dangerous,  for  emis- 
sions most  frequently  occur  at  this  time. 

3.  If  insufficient  sleep  is  taken  at  night,  sleep  a 
few  minutes  just  before  dinner.  Half  an  hour’s 
rest  at  this  time  is  remarkably  refreshing;  and 
even  fifteen  minutes  spent  in  sleep  will  be  found 
very  reviving.  Do  not  sleep  after  dinner,  as  a pol- 
lution will  be  very  likely  to  occur,  and,  as  a rule, 
after-dinner  naps  are  unrefreshing  and  productive 
of  indigestion. 

4.  Never  go  to  bed  with  the  towels^or  bladder 
loaded.  The  bladder  should  be  emptied  just  before 
retiring.  It  is  also  a good  plan  to  foim  the  habit 
of  rising  once  or  twice  during  the  night  to  urinate. 

5.  The  position  in  sleeping  is  of  some  importance. 
Sleeping  upon  the  back  or  upon  the  abdomen  fa- 
vors the  occurrence  of  emissions ; hence,  it  is  pref- 
erable to  sleep  on  one  side.  If  supper  has  been 
taken,  the  right  side  is  preferable,  as  that  position 
will  favor  the  passage  of  food  from  the  stomach 
into  the  intestines  in  undergoing  digestion. 

Various  devices  are  employed,  sometimes  with 
advantage,  to  prevent  the  patient  from  turning 
upon  his  back  while  asleep.  The  most  simple  is  that 
recommended  by  Acton,  and  consists  in  tying  a 
knot  in  the  middle  of  a towel  and  then  fastening  the 
towel  about  the  body  in  such  a way  that  the  knot 
will  come  upon  the  small  of  the  back.  The  un- 


OLD  Ayj)  YOUNG,  395 

What  to  Avoid.  Ventilation. 

pleasant  sensations  arising  from  pressure  of  the 
knot,  if  the  sleeper  turn  upon  his  back,  will  often 
serve  as  a complete  preventive.  Others  fasten  a 
piece  of  wood  upon  the  back  for  a similar  purpose. 
Still  others  practice  tying  one  hand  to  the  bed- 
post. None  of  these  remedies  should  be  depended 
upon,  but  they  may  be  tried  in  connection  with 
other  means  of  treatment. 

6.  Soft  beds  and  pillows  must  be  carefully 
avoided.  Feather-beds  should  not  be  employed 
when  possible  to  find  a harder  bed ; the_fl_oorj,with 
a single  folded  blanket  beneath  the  sleeper,  would 
be  preferable.  Soft  pillows  heat  the  head,  as  soft 
beds  produce  heat  in  other  parts.  A hair  mattress, 
or  a bed  of  corn  husks,  oat  straw,  or  excelsior 
— covered  with  two  or  three  blankets  or  a quilted 
cotton  mattress — makes  a very  healthy  and  com- 
fortable bed. 

7.  Too  many  covers  should  be  avoided  with 
equal  care.  The  thinnest  possible  covering  in  sum- 

I mer,  and  the  lightest  consistent  with  comfort  in 
winter,  should  be  the  rule.  Sleeping  too  warm  is  a 
frequent  exciting  cause  of  nocturnal  losses. 

8.  Thorough  ventilation  of  the  sleeping-room, 
both  while  occupied  and  during  the  day-time,  must 
not  be  neglected.  It  should  be  located  in  a posi- 
tion to  admit  the  sunshine  during  the  morning 
hours.  It  is  a good  plan  to  keep  in  it  a number  of 
house  plants,  as  they  will  help  to  purify  the  air, 
besides  adding  to  its  cheerfulness. 


.396 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 


Wakefulness.  ' Dreams. 

9.  If  wakeful  at  night,  instead  of  lying  in  bed 
ti’ying  to  go  to  sleep,  get  up  at  once,  open  the  bed, 
air  the  sheets,  remove  the  night  clothing  and  walk 
about  the  room  for  a few  minutes,  rubbing  the 
body  briskly  with  the  bare  hand  at  the  same  time. 
A tepid  sponge  bath,  followed  by  a vigorous  rub- 
bing kept  up  until  really  tired,  will  conduce  to 
sleep  in  many  cases.  Sometimes  a change  of  bed, 
or  pulling  the  bed  to  pieces  and  arranging  it  again, 
is  just  the  thing  needed  to  bring  sleep. 

10.  One  of  the  most  effectual  panaceas  for  cer- 
tain varieties  of  sleeplessness  is  going  to  bed  at 
peace  with  all  the  world,  and  with  a conscience 
void  of  offense  toward  God  as  well  as  man. 

Dreams. — This  is  a subject  of  much  interest  to 
those  suffering  from  nocturnal  pollutions,  for  these 
occurrences  are  almost  always  connected  -with 
dreams  of  a lascivious  nature. 

In  perfectly  natural  sleep,  there  are  no  dreams ; 
consciousness  is  entirely  suspended.  In  the  ordi- 
nary stage  of  dreaming,  there  is  a peculiar  sort  of 
consciousness,  many  of  the  faculties  of  the  mind 
being  more  or  less  active  while  the  power  of  voli- 
tion is  wholly  doiTuant.  Carpenter  describes  an- 
other stage  of  consciousness  between  that  of 
ordinary  dreaming  and  wakefulness,  a condition 
“ in  which  the  dreamer  has  a consciousness  that  he 
is  dreaming,  being  aware  of  the  unreliability  of  the 
images  which  present  themselves  before  his  mind. 
He  may  even  make  a voluntary  and  successful 


OLB  AND  YOTTA^G,  397 

Can  Dreams  fee  Controlled?  Firm  Resolution  a Remedy. 

effort  to  prolong  them  if  agreeable,  or  to  dissipate 
them  if  unpleasing ; thus  evincing  a certain  degree 
of  that  directing  power,  the  entire  want  of  which 
is  characteristic  of  the  true  state  of  dreams.” 

Can  Dreams  Be  Controlled  ? — Facts  prove  that 
they  can  he,  and  to  a remarkable  extent.  A large 
share  of  emissions  occur  in  the  state  described  by 
Dr.  Carpenter,  in  which  a certain  amount  of  con- 
trol by  the  will  is  possible.  This  is  the  usual  con- 
dition of  the  mind  during  morning  naps  ; and  if  a 
person  resolutely  determines  to  combat  unchaste 
thoughts  whenever  they  come  to  him,  whether 
asleep  or  awake,  he  will  find  it  possible  to  control 
himself  not  only  during  this  semi-conscious  state, 
but  even  during  more  profound  sleep. 

The  following  case,  related  by  an  eminent  Lon- 
don surgeon,*  illustrates  what  may  be  done  by 
strong  resolution ; the  patient  was  an  Italian  gen- 
tleman of  very  great  respectability. 

“ He  had  been  inconvenienced  five  years  before 
with  frequent  emissions,  which  totally  unnerved 
him.  He  determined  resolutely  that  the  very  in- 
stant the  image  of  a woman  or  any  libidinous  idea 
presented  itself  to  his  imagination,  he  would  wake ; 
and  to  insure  his  doing  so,  dwelt  in  his  thoughts 
on  his  resolution  for  a long  time  before  going  to 
sleep.  The  remedy,  applied  by  a vigorous  will, 
had  the  most  happy  results.  The  idea,  the  remem- 
brance of  its  being  a danger,  and  the  determina- 
tion to  wake,  closely  united  the  evening  before, 
* Acton. 


308  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Control  of  Mind  during  Consciousness.  Cause  of  Lascivious  Dreams. 

were  never  dissociated  even  in  sleep,  and  lie  awoke 
in  time ; and  this  reiterated  precaution,  repeated 
during  some  evenings,  absolutely  cured  the  com- 
plaint.” 

Several  other  cases  of  the  same  kind  have  been 
recorded.  Doubtless  the  plan  would  be  found  suc- 
cessful in  many  cases  when  coupled  with  a proper 
regimen. 

A still  greater  control  is  exerted  over  the 
thoughts  during  sleep  by  their  character  during 
hours  of  wakefulness.  By  controlling  the  mind 
during  entire  consciousness,  it  will  also  be  con- 
trolled during  unconsciousness  or  semi-conscious- 
ness. 

Dr.  Acton  makes  the  following  very  appropriate 
remarks  on  this  subject : — 

" Patients  will  tell  you  that  they  cannot  control 
their  dreams.  This  is  not  true.  Those  who  have 
studied  the  connection  between  thoughts  during 
waking  hours  and  dreams  during  sleep  know  that 
they  are  closely  connected.  The  character  is  the 
same  sleeping  or  waking.  It  is  not  surprising 
that,  if  a man  has  allowed  his  thoughts  during  the 
day  to  rest  upon  libidinous  subjects,  he  should  find 
his  mind  at  night  full  of  lascivious  dreams — the 
one  is  a consequence  of  the  other,  and  the  noc- 
turnal pollution  is  a natural  consequence,  partic- 
ularly when  diurnal  indulgence  has  produced  an 
irritability  of  the  generative  organs.  A wiU  Avhich 
in  our  wakincf  hours  we  have  not  exercised  in  re- 


OLD  AND  TO  UNO. 


30f) 

Daily  Bathing,  Improvament  of  General  Health. 

pressing  sexual  desires,  will  not,  when  we  fall 
asleep,  preserve  us  from  carrying  the  sleeping  echo 
of  our  waking  thought  farther  than  we  dared  to 
do  in  the  day-time.” 

Bathing. — A daily  bath  is  indispensable  to 
health  under  almost  all  circumstances ; for  patients 
of  this  class,  it  is  especially  necessary.  A general 
bath  should  be  taken  every  morning  immediately 
upon  rising.  General  cold  bathing  is  not  good  for 
any  person,  especially  in  the  morning,  though  some 
may  tolerate  it  remarkably  well,  being  of  excep- 
tionally hardy  constitutions  ; but  the  advice  to  try 
“ cold  bathing  ” often  given  to  sufferers  from  sem- 
inal weakness,  is  very  pernicious,  for  most  of  them 
have  been  reduced  so  low  in  vitality  by  their  dis- 
ease that  they  cannot  endure  such  violent  treat- 
ment. 

Sun  baths,  electric  baths,  spray,  plunge,  and 
other  forms  of  bath,  are  of  greatest  value  to  those 
suffering  from  the  effects  of  indiscretions.  These 
are  described,  with  additional  observations  con- 
cerning temperature  of  baths,  etc.,  etc.,  in  works 
devoted  to  this  subject. 

Improvement  of  General  Health.  — Patients 
suffering  from  emissions  and  other  forms  of  semi- 
nal weakness  are  almost  always  dyspeptic,  and 
most  of  them  present  other  constitutional  affec- 
tions which  require  careful  and  thorough  treatment 
according  to  the  particular  indications  of  the  case. 
The  wise  physician  will  not  neglect  these  if  he 


400 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 


Prostitution  as  a Eemedy.  Demoralizing  Advice. 

desires  to  cure  his  patient  and  make  his  recovery 
as  complete  as  possible. 

Prostitution  as  a Eemedy. — Said  a leading 
physician  in  New  York  to  us  when  interrogated  as 
to  his  special  treatment  of  spermatorrhoea,  “ When 
a young  man  comes  to  me  suffering  from  nocturnal 
emissions,  I give  him  tonics  and  send  him  to  a 
woman.”  That  this  is  not  an  unusual  method  of 
treatment,  even  among  regular  physicians,  is  a fact 
as  true  as  it  is  deplorable.  There  are  hundreds  of 
young  men  whose  morals  have  been  ruined  by  such 
advice.  Having  been  educated  to  virtuous  habits, 
at  least  so  far  as  illicit  intercourse  is  concerned, 
they  resist  all  temptations  in  this  direction,  even 
though  their  inclinations  are  very  strong ; but 
when  advised  by  a physician  to  commit  fornica- 
tion as  a remedial  measure,  they  yield  their  ^drtue, 
far  too  readily  sometimes,  and  begin  a life  of  sin 
from  which  they  might  have  been  prevented. 
There  are  good  grounds  for  believing  that  many 
young  men  purposely  seek  advice  from  physicians 
whom  they  know  are  in  the  habit  of  prescribing 
this  kind  of  remedy. 

Few  know  how  commonly  this  course  is  recom- 
mended, and  not  by  quacks,  but  by  members  of  the 
regular  profession.  A medical  friend  infonned  us 
that  he  knew  a case  in  which  a country  physician 
advised  a j^oung  man  of  continent  habits  to  go  to  a 
neighboring  large  city  and  spend  a year  or  so  with 
prostitutes,  which  advice  he  followed.  Of  his  sub- 


OLD  AND  T0UN6. 


401 


An  Impotent  Remedy.  Vice  Not  Justifiable. 

sequent  history  we  know  nothing ; but  it  is  most 
probable  that,  like  most  ot^ier  young  men  who 
adopt  this  remedy,  he  soon  contracted  diseases 
which  rendered  his  condition  ten  times  worse  than 
at  first,  without  at  all  improving  his  former  state. 
In  pursuing  this  course,  one  form  of  emission  is  only 
substituted  for  another,  at  the  best ; but  more  than 
this,  an  involuntary  result  of  disease  is  converted 
into  a voluntary  sin  of  the  blackest  character,  a 
crime  in  which  two  participate,  and  which  is  not 
only  an  outrage  upon  nature,  but  against  morality 
as  well. 

A final  argument  against  this  course  is  that  it  is 
not  a remedy  and  does  not  effect  a cure  of  the  evil, 
as  will  he  shown  by  the  following  medical  testi- 
monies : — 

“ The  vexed  question  of  connection  is  one  which 
may  be  decided  out  of  hand.  ...  It  has  no 
power  of  curing  had  spermatorrhoea ; it  may  cause 
a diminution  in  the  number  of  emissions,  hut  this 
is  only  a delusion ; the  semen  is  still  thrown  ofFi 
tlie  frame  still  continues  to  be  exhausted ; the  gen- 
ital organs  and  nervous  system  generally  are  still 
harassed  by  the  incessant  tax,  and  the  patient  is 
all  the  while  laying  the  foundation  of  impotence.”* 

“ In  all  solemn  earnestness  I protest  against  such 
false  treatment.  It  is  better  for  a youth  to  live  a 
continent  life.”  “ There  is  a terrible  significance  in 
the  wise  man’s  words,  ‘ None  that  go  to  her  return 


26 


* Milton. 


402  PL  AIK  FACTS  FOR 

Marriage.  Abuse  of  Marriage. 

again,  neither  take  they  hold  of  the  paths  of  life.’  ” * 
This  hazardous  and  immoral  mode  of  treatment  is 
the  result  of  the  common  opinion  that  emissions 
are  necessary  and  natural,  which  we  have  previ- 
ously shown  to  be  a falsity, 

MaiTiage. — Another  class  of  practitioners,  with 
more  apparent  regard  for  morality,  recommend  mat- 
rimony as  the  sure  panacea  for  all  the  ills  of  which 
the  sufferers  from  self -abuse  complain,  with  the  pos- 
sible exception  of  actual  impotence.  Against  this 
course  several  objections  may  be  urged ; we  ofler 
the  following : — 

1.  It  is  not  a remedy,  since,  as  in  the  case  of 
illicit  intercourse,  “ legalized  prostitution  ” is  only 
a substitution  of  one  form  of  emissions  for  another, 
the  ill  effects  of  which  do  not  differ  appreciably. 

2.  If  it  were  a remedy,  it  would  not  be  a justifi- 
able one,  for  its  use  would  necessitate  an  abuse  of 
the  marriage  relation,  as  elsewhere  shown. 

3.  As  another  reason  why  the  remedy  would  not 
be  a "proper,  even  if  a good,  one,  it  may  well  be 
asked.  What  riofht  has  a man  to  treat  a wife  as  a 
vial  of  medicine  ? Well  does  Mr.  Acton  inquire, 
“ What  has  the  young  girl,  who  is  thus  sacrificed  to 
an  egotistical  calculation,  done  that  she  should  be 
condemned  to  the  existence  that  awaits  her  ? M ho 
has  the  right  to  regard  her  as  a thei’apeutic  agent, 
and  to  risk  thus  lightly  her  future  prospects,  her 
repose,  and  the  happiness  of  the  remainder  of  her 
life  ? ” 


*Acton. 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


403 


Marriage  Not  a Remedy.  local  Treatment. 

In  cases  in  which  seminal  emissions  occur  fre- 
quently, the  most  reliable  Avriters  upon  this  sub- 
ject, Copland,  Acton,  Milton,  and  others,  ad^dse, 
Avith  reference  to  marriage,  “ that  the  complaint 
should  be  removed  befoi-e  the  married  life  is  com- 
menced.” Independent  of  the  considerations  al- 
ready presented,  the  individual  affected  in  this  man- 
ner and  contemplating  marriage  should  carefully 
consider  the  possible  and  probable  effects  upon  off- 
spring, the  legitimate  result  of  marriage ; these 
haAm  been  already  described,  and  need  not  be  re- 
capitulated. 

Local  Treatment. — While  it  is  true  that  gen- 
eral treatment  alone  is  occasionally  successful  in 
curing  the  diseases  under  consideration,  and  that 
local  treatment  alone  is  very  rarely  efficient,  it  is 
also  true  that  in  many  cases  skillful  local  treat- 
ment is  required  to  supplement  the  general  rem- 
edies employed.  While  there  has  been  a tendency 
on  the  part  of  the  profession  generally  to  depend 
Avholly  upon  general  treatment,  on  the  part  of  a less 
numerous  body  of  specialists  there  has  been  an  op- 
posite tendency  to  depend  wholly,  or  nearly  so,  upon 
local  measures.  Both  extremes  are  evidently  wrong. 

The  object  of  local  treatment  for  the  relief  of 
emissions,  especially,  is  to  remove  the  local  cause  of 
irritation,  which,  as  previously  shown,  is  one  of  the 
most  active  exciting  causes  of  seminal  losses.  To 
effect  this,  both  internal  and  external  applications 
are  useful.  We  will  now  consider  some  of  these 
agents. 


404 


FLAIK  FACTS  FOR 


Methods  of  Treatment.  The  Abdominal  Bandage. 

Cool  Sitz  Bath. — The  cool  or  cold  sitz  bath  is  one 
of  the  most  efficacious  of  all  remedies.  It  should 
be  taken  daily,  and  may  often  be  repeated,  with 
benefit,  several  times  a day.  Its  effect  is  to  relieve 
the  local  congestion,  and  thus  allay  the  irritability 
of  the  affected  parts.  When  but  one  bath  is  taken 
daily,  it  should  be  just  before  retiring  at  night. 
Full  directions  for  this  and  other  baths  are  given 
in  works  devoted  to  the  subject  of  bathing. 

Ascending  Douche. — This  is  also  a verj^  useful 
means  of  allaying  irritation,  especially  the  reflex 
excitability  which  is  often  present  in  the  muscles 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  perineum  and  pi’ostate  gland, 
and  when  there  is  pain  and  fullness  in  these  parts. 

Abdominal  Bandage. — This  may  be  worn  nights 
to  very  great  advantage  by  most  patients.  It  not 
only  allays  the  irritability  of  the  nerve  centers 
which  are  closely  connected  with  the  genital  appa- 
ratus, but  serves  to  keep  the  bowels  in  a healthy 
condition.  It  should  not  be  applied  so  continu- 
ously as  to  produce  a very  profuse  eniption  on  the 
skin.  If  such  a symptom  should  appear,  discon- 
tinue the  bandage  for  a time.  Wlien  worn  during 
the  day-time,  it  should  be  changed  once  in  three  or 
four  hours.  It  is  generally  best  to  wear  it  only 
nights. 

Wet  Compress. — This  is  an  application  to  be 
made  to  the  lower  part  of  the  spine  for  the  purpose 
of  allaying  the  excessive  heat  and  irritation  which 
often  exist  there.  It  may  also  be  worn  nights,  as 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


405 


Hot  and  Cold  Applications  to  the  Spine.  Local  Cold  Bathing. 

it  in  some  degree  prevents  the  danger  arising  from 
sleeping  upon  the  back. 

Hot  and  Gold  Applications  to  the  Spine. — These 
are  powerful  remedies  under  appropriate  conditions. 
Hot  applications  relieve  congestion  of  the  genital 
organs  and  allay  irritation.  Cold  applications  are 
useful  when  a condition  of  debility  and  relaxation 
is  present.  Alternate  applications  of  heat  and  cold 
are  ’ very  valuable,  when  skillfully  applied,  as  a 
means  of  allaying  reflex  excitability  and  promot- 
ing healthy  action.  These  applications  ai’e  espe- 
cially useful  in  cases  in  which  there  is  heat  and 
pain  in  the  lower  portion  of  the  back.  Their  ef- 
fects are  greatly  enhanced  by  administering  a foot 
or  leg  bath  at  the  same  time. 

Local  Fomentations.  — ^\iQxv  great  local  irrita- 
tion exists,  with  considerable  pain  and  spasmodic 
muscular  action,  the  application  of  hot  fomenta- 
tions to  the  perineum  will  be  found  the  most  ef- 
fectual means  of  giving  relief.  The  hot  douche 
and  hot  sitz  bath  are  useful  under  the  same  cir- 
cumstances. 

In  some  cases,  alternate  hot  and  cold  applications 
are  more  effectual  in  allaying  local  irritation  than 
hot  fomentations  alone. 

Local  Cold  Bathing. — The  genital  organs  should 
be  daily  bathed  in  cold  water  just  before  retiring. 
Simply  dashing  water  upon  the  parts  for  two  or 
three  minutes  is  insufficient ; more  prolonged  bath- 
ing is  necessary.  A short  application  of  cold 


406  PLAIN  FACTS  FOB 

Enemata.  How  to  Regulate  the  Bowels. 

occasions  a strong  and  sudden  reaction  which  in- 
creases local  congestion  ; hence,  the  hath  should  be 
continued  until  the  sedative  effect  is  fully  produced, 
which  will  require  at  least  fifteen  minutes.  The 
water  must  be  cold ; about  60°  is  the  best  temper- 
ature. Ice  should  be  used  to  cool  the  water  in 
warm  weather.  It  should  be  applied  thoroughly, 
being  squeezed  from  a sponge  upon  the  lower  part 
of  the  abdomen  and  allowed  to  run  down. 

Enemata. — The  use  of  the  enema  is  an  impor- 
tant means  of  aiding  recovery,  but  it  has  been 
much  abused,  and  must  be  employed  with  caution. 
When  the  bowels  are  veiy  costive,  relieve  them  be- 
fore retiring  by  a copious  injection  of  tepid  water. 
The  “ fountain  syringe  ” is  the  best  instrument  to 
employ. 

Useful  as  is  the  syringe  when  needed,  nothing 
could  be  much  worse  than  becoming  dependent 
upon  it.  The  bowels  must  be  made  to  act  for 
themselves  without  such  artificial  assistance,  by 
the  use  of  proper  food,  especially  graham  flour  and 
oatmeal,  and  the  avoidance  of  hot  drinks,  milk, 
sugar,  and  other  clogging  and  constipating  articles  ; 
by  wearing  the  abdominal  bandage  ; by  thorough 
kneading  and  percussion  of  the  abdomen  several 
times  daily  for  five  minutes  at  a time ; by  taking 
one  or  two  glasses  of  cold  water  half  an  hour  be- 
foi’e  breakfast  eveiy  morning ; and  by  plenty  of 
muscular  exercise  daily.  The  enema  should  be 
used  occasionally,  however,  rather  than  allow  the 


OLD  AKD  YOUNG. 


407 


Electricity.  . Interual  ApiJlications. 

bowels  to  continue  costive,  and  to  avoid  severe 
straining  at  stool. 

A small,  cold  enema  taken  just  before  retiring, 
and  retained,  will  often  do  much  to  allay  local  ir- 
ritation. 

Electricity. — Probably  no  single  agent  will  ac- 
complish more  than  this  remedy  when  skillfull}^ 
applied.  It  needs  to  be  carefully  used,  and  cannot 
be  trusted  in  the  liands  of  those  not  acquainted 
with  the  physical  properties  of  the  remedy  and 
scientific  methods  of  applying  it. 

Internal  Applications.  — Complete  and  rapid 
success  greatly  depends  upon  skillful  internal 
treatment,  in  a large  number  of  cases.  We  are 
aware  that  there  is  considerable  prejudice,  in  cer- 
tain quarters,  against  internal  treatment ; but  hav- 
ing had  the  opportunity  of  observing  the  effect'^  of 
careful  treatment  applied  in  this  way,  and  having 
put  to  the  test  of  practical  experience  this  method, 
we  feel  justified  in  recommending  that  which  is 
approved  on  both  theoretical  and  practical  grounds  ; 
for  it  is  rational  to  suppose  that  proper  treatment 
applied  directly  to  the  seat  of  disease  must  be  at 
least  equally  efficacious  with  methods  less  direct. 

As  heretofore  explained,  in  the  more  severe 
cases  the  urethra  is  found  in  a very  irritable  con- 
dition. It  is  hyper-sensitive,  especially  in  that 
portion  just  in  front  of  the  bladder,  wliere  the 
ejaculatory  ducts  open  into  it.  We  have  also  seen 
how  this  condition  is  one  of  the  chief  exciting 


408 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOB 


Necessity  for  Skill  in  Treatment.  Use  of  Electricity. 

causes  of  emissions.  The  remedies  described  for 
allaying  this  irritation  are  all  excellent  and  indis- 
pensable ; but  there  is  another  method  of  gi’eat 
value.  This  consists  in  the  passage  of  a suitable 
instrument,  a sound  or  bougie  of  proper' size,  two 
or  three  times  a week.  By  the  aid  of  this  means, 
the  abnoimal  irritation  will  often  diminish  with 
magical  rapidity.  The  passage  of  the  instrument 
of  course  needs  to  be  done  with  great  delicacy,  so 
as  to  avoid  increasing  the  irritation ; hence  it 
should  not  be  attempted  by  a novice.  Lack  of 
skill  in  catheterism  is  doubtless  the  reason  why 
some  have  seemed  to  produce  injury  rather  than 
benefit  by  this  method  of  treatment,  they  not  rec- 
ognizing the  fact  asserted  by  Prof.  Gross  in  his 
treatise  on  surgery,  that  skilKul  catheterism  is  one 
of  the  most  delicate  operations  in  surgery. 

Use  of  Electricity. — The  use  of  electricitj’’  in 
connection  with  that  of  the  sound  add.s  greatly  to 
its  utility.  By  means  of  the  metallic  instrument, 
also,  electricity  may  be  applied  directly  to  the 
point  of  greatest  irritation ; and  its  soothing  effect 
is  sometimes  really  wonderful,  as  the  following 
case  will  shoAV  : — 

The  patient,  a man  of  unusual  physical  develop- 
ment, was  suffering  from  nocturnal  emissions  and 
diminished  sexual  power,  the  result  of  early  indis- 
cretions and  marital  excesses.  One  of  his  most 
unpleasant  symptoms  was  severe  pain  in  the  por- 
tion of  the  urethra  near  the  openings  of  the  ejacu- 


i 

i 

' 1 

OLD  AND  YOUNG.  409 

Interesting  Cases.  Electricity  Applied  to  the  Nerve  Centers. 

latoTy  ducts.  Aftei'  he  had  been  suffering  more 
than  usual  for  a few  days,  we  applied  the  faradaic 
electric  current  in  the  manner  indicated  above,  for 
about  fifteen  minutes.  At  the  end  of  that  time 
the  pain  was  entirely  removed,  though  consider- 
able suffering  had  been  caused  by  the  passage  of 
the  instrument,  so  sensitive  was  the  congested 
membrane.  The  pain  did  not  return  again  for  two 
or  three  weeks,  though  treatment  was  necessarily 
suspended  on  account  of  absence. 

In  another  case,  that  of  a young  man,  a student, 
at  the  beginning  of  treatment  emissions  occurred 
nightly,  and  sometimes  as  many  as  four  in  a single 
night,  according  to  his  statement,  which  we  had  no 
reason  to  doubt.  Under  the  influence  of  these 
local  applications,  combined  with  other  measures 
of  treatment  and  a measurably  correct  regimen, 
the  number  of  emissions  was  in  a few  weeks  re- 
duced to  one  in  two  or  three  weeks. 

Numerous  other  eases  nearly  as  remarkable 
might  be  detailed  if  it  were  necessary  to  do  so. 

In  quite  a considerable  number  of  cases  in  which 
we  have  employed"  this  plan  of  treatment,  the  re- 
sults have  been  uniformly  excellent.  A veiy 
slight  increase  of  irritation  sometimes  occurs  at 
first,  but  this  quickly  subsides. 

The  galvanic  as  well  as  the  faradaic  current  is 
to  be  used  under  proper  circumstances.  The  ap- 
plication of  electricity  to  the  nerve  centers  by 
means  of  central  galvanization,  and  also  general 

410  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

OircumcisioD.  Impotenee. 

and  local  external  faradization,  are  necessary  meth- 
ods to  be  employed  in  electrical  treatment. 

Circumcision. — In  cases  of  phimosis,  in  which 
irritation  is  produced  by  retained  secretions,  divis- 
ion of  the  prepuce,  or  circumcision,  is  the  proper 
remedy.  These  cases  are  not  infrequent,  but  the 
exciting  cause  of  much  of  the  difficulty  is  often 
overlooked.  The  same  remedy  is  often  useful  in 
cases  of  long  prepuce. 

When  the  glans  penis  is  unusually  tender  and 
sensitive,  this  condition  will  usually  be  removed 
by  the  daily  washing  with  soap  and  water  neces- 
sary for  cleanliness.  If  this  does  not  suffice,  or  if 
there  are  slight  excoriations  caused  by  acrid  secre- 
tions, apply,  in  addition,  a weak  solution  of  tannin 
in  glycerine  once  a day. 

Impotence. — Loss  of  sexual  power  arising  from 
any  form  of  sexual  excess,  should  be  treated  on 
the  same  general  plan  laid  dovTi  for  the  treatment 
of  emissions  and  other  weaknesses.  Cold  to  the 
spine,  and  short,  but  frequent,  local  cold  applica- 
tions, are  among  the  most  useful  remedies ; but, 
probably,  electricity,  discreetly  used,  is  by  far  the 
most  valuable  of  aU  remedies.  It  should  be  ap- 
plied both  internally  and  externally. 

The  use  of  cantharides  and  other  aphrodisiac 
remedies  to  stimulate  the  sexual  organs  is  a most 
pernicious  practice.  The  inevitable  result  is  still 
greater  weakness.  They  should  never  be  used 
under  any  circumstances  whatever.  On  the  con- 


OLV  AND  YOUNG.  411 

I Varicocele.  Drugs,  Rings,  etc. 

traiy,  eveiything  of  a stimulating  character  must 
be  carefully  avoided,  even  in  diet. 

Varicocele. — Patients  suffering  from  this  diffi- 
culty should  wear  a proper  suspensory  bag,  as  the 
continued  pressure  of  the  distended  veins  upon  the 
testes,  if  unsupported,  will  ultimately  cause  degen- 
erative changes  and  atrophy.  A surgical  opera- 
tion, consisting  of  the  removal  of  a portion  of  the 
skin  of  the  scrotum,  is  proper  if  the  patient  desires 
an  operation ; no  other  operation  is  advisable. 

The  wearing  of  a suspensory  bag  is  also  advis- 
able for  those  whose  testicles  are  unusually  pend- 
ulous. 

Drugs,  Rings,  etc.— If  drugs,  per  se,  will  cure 
invalids  of  any  class,  they  are  certainly  worthless 
in  this  class  of  patients.  The  whole  materia  med- 
ica  affords  no  root,  herb,  extract,  or  compound  that 
alone  will  cure  a person  suffering  from  emissions. 
Thousands  of  unfortunates  have  been  ruined  by 
long-continued  drugging.  One  physician  will 
purge  and  salivate  the  patient.  Another  will  dose 
him  with  phosphoru.s,  quinine,  or  ergot.  Another 
feeds  him  with  iron.  Another  plies  him  with 
lupuline,  camphor,  and  digitaline.  Still  another 
narcotizes  him  with  opium,  belladonna,  and  chlo- 
ral. Purgatives  and  diuretics  are  given  by  an- 
other, and  some  will  be  found  ready  to  empty 
the  whole  pharmacopceia  into  the  poor  sufferer’s 
stomach  if  he  can  be  got  to  open  his  mouth  wide 
enough. 


412 


PLAiy  FACTS  FOR 


Injurious  Drugging.  Qiiack>. 

The  way  that  some  of  these  poor  fellows  are 
blistered,  and  burned,  and  cauterized,  and  tortured 
in  sundry  other  ways,  is  almost  too  hondble  to 
' tliink  of ; yet  they  endure  it,  often  willingly, 
thinking  it  but  just  punishment  for  their  sins, 
and  pei'haps  hoping  to  expiate  them  by  this  cruel 
penance.  By  these  procedures,  the  emissions  are 
sometimes  temporarily  checked,  but  the  patient  is 
not  cured,  nevertheless,  and  the  malady  soon  re- 
turns. 

The  employment  of  rings,  pessaries,  and  numer- 
ous other  mechanical  devices  for  preventing  emis- 
sions, is  entirely  futile.  No  dependence  can  be 
placed  upon  them.  Some  of  these  contrivances 
are  very  ingenious,  but  they  are  all  worthless,  and 
time  and  money  spent  upon  them  are  thrown  away. 

(Jliacks. — The  victims  of  self-abuse  fall  an  easy 
prey  to  the  hordes  of  harpies,  fiends  in  human  shape, 
who  are  ready  at  every  turn  to  make  capital  out  of 
their  misfortunes.  From  no  other  class  of  persons  do 
quacks  and  charlatans  derive  so  rich  a harvest  as 
from  these  erring  ones.  It  is  not  uncommon  to  find 
a man  suffering  from  seminal  weakness  who  has 
paid  to  sundry  parties  hundreds  of  dollars  for 
“ specifics  ” which  they  advertised  as  “ sure  cures.” 
We  have  seen  and  treated  scores  of  these  patients, 
but  never  yet  met  a single  case  that  had  received 
benefit  from  patent  medicines. 

Tile  newspapers  are  full  of  the  advertisements 
of  these  heartless  villains.  They  advertise  under 


OLD  AND  YOUNG.  413 

Villains  in  Disguise.  Infamous  Kascality. 

the  guise  of  “ clergymen,”  charitable  institutions, 

“ cured  invalids,”  and  similar  pretenses.  Usually 
they  offer  for  sale  some  pill  or  mixture  Avhich  will 
be  a sure  cure,  in  proof  of  which  they  cite  the  tes- 
timonials of  numerous  individuals  who  never  lived, 
or,  at  least,  never  saw  either  them  or  their  filthy 
compounds ; or,  they  promise  to  send  free  a recipe 
which  will  be  a certain  cure.  Hei-e  is  a specimen 
recipe  which  was  sent  by  a “reverend”  gentleman 
who  claims  to  be  a returned  missionary  from  South 
America  so  intent  on  doing  good  that  he  charges 
nothing  for  his  invaluable  information  : — 

Extract  of  Corrossa  apimis, 

“ “ Selarmo  umbelifera, 

Powdered  Alkermes  latifolia, 

Extract  of  Carsadoc  herbal  is. 

Tliis  remarkable  recipe  is  warranted  to  cure  all 
the  evils  aiising  from  self-abuse,  tvith  no  attention 
to  diet  and  no  inconvenience  of  an}^  kind,  to  pre- 
vent consumption  and  insanity,  and  to  cure  vene- 
real diseases.  It  is  also  declared  to  be  a perfectly 
“ sa  fe  ” reined}^  for  all  female  difficulties,  which 
means  that  it  will  aid  nefarious  pui’poses. 

Along  with  the  recipe  comes  the  suggestion  that 
the  druggist  may  not  be  able  to  furnish  all  the  in- 
gredients in  a perfectly  pure  state,  and  so,  for  the 
accommodation  of  suffering  humanity,  this  noble 
philanthropist  has  taken  infinite  pains  to  secure 
them  direct  from  South  America,  and  has  them  put 

^ I 

i 

414  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

• Pious”  Pretenders.  Traps  for  the  Unwary. 

up  in  neat  little  packages  which  he  will  send,  post- 
paid, for  the  trifle  of  S3.50,  just  one  cent  less  than 
actual  cost.  Then  he  tells  what  purports  to  be  the 
history  of  his  own  nastiness,  with  a generous  spi- 
cing of  pious  cant,  and  closes  with  a benediction  on 
all  who  have  fallen  into  the  same  slough,  and  aspe- 
cially  those  who  will  send  for  his  fabulous  foreign 
Aveeds  to  help  them  out. 

A young  man  sees  the  advertisement  of  a book 
Avhich  Avill  be  sent  free,  postage  paid,  if  he  Avill  only 
send  his  addi-ess.  The  title  of  the  book  being  of 
some  such  character  as  “ Manhood  Regained,”  or 
“ Nervous  Debility,”  he  imagines  it  may  suit  his 
case,  and  sends  his  name.  Return  mail  brings  the 
book,  which  is  a wretched  jargon  of  confused  terms 
and  appalling  desciiptions  of  the  efiects  of  self- 
abuse, with  the  most  shameful  exaggerations  of  the 
significance  of  the  most  trivial  symptoms.  The  ig- 
norant youth  reads  what  he  supposes  to  be  a de- 
sci'iption  of  his  own  case,  and  is  frightened  nearly  | 

to  death.  He  is  most  happily  relieved,  howeA'or,  ] 

to  find  that  the  generous  publishei-s  of  the  book  | 

have  a remedy  Avhich  is  just  adapted  t-o  his  case, 
but  which  is  so  precious  that  it  cannot  be  afibrde<l 
at  less  than  $.50.00  for  a sutRcient  quantity  to  eflect  I 

a cure.  He  willingly  parts  Avith  his  hard-earned  1 

dollai-s,  and  gets,  in  return,  some  filthy  mixture 
that  did  not  cost  a shilling. 

Another  trap  set  is  called  an  “ Anatomical  Mu-  i 
seum.”  The  anatomical  part  of  the  exhibition  j 


OLD  AJSiD  YOUNG.  415 

Human  Vampires.  Closing  Advice. 

consists  chiefly  of  models  and  figures  calculated  to 
excite  the  passions  to  the  highest  pitch.  At  stated 
intervals  the  proprietor,  who  is  always  a “doctor,” 
and  by  preference  a German,  delivers  lectures  on 
the  effects  of  masturbation,  in  which  he  resorts  to 
every  device  to  excite  the  fears  and  exaggerate  tlie 
symptoms  of  his  hearers,  who  are  mostly  young 
men  and  boys.  Thus  he  prepares  his  victim,  and 
when  he  once  gets  him  within  his  clutches,  he  does 
not  let  him  go  until  he  has  robbed  him  of  his  last 
dollar. 

We  might  present  almost  any  number  of  illus- 
trations of  the  ways  in  which  these  human  shar  ks 
pursue  their  villainy.  If  there  were  a dungeon 
deep,  dark,  and  dismal  enough  for  the  punishment 
of  such  rascals,  we  should  feel  sti’ongly  inclined  to 
petition  to  have  them  incarcerated  in  it.  They 
defy  all  laws,  civil  as  well  as  moral,  but  are  cun- 
ning enough  to  keep  outside  of  prison  bars ; and 
thus  they  wax  rich  by  roblrery,  and  thrive  by  de- 
ceit. A terrible  recompense  awaits  them  at  the 
final  settlement,  though  they  escape  so  easily  now. 

Closing  Advice.— We  cannot  finish  this  chap- 
ter without  a few  closing  words  of  advice  to  those 
who  are  suffering  in  any  way  from  the  results  of 
sexual  transgression.  We  are  especially  anxious  to 
call  attention  to  a few  points  of  practical  and  vital 
interest  to  all  who  are  suffering  in  the  manner  in- 
dicated. 

1.  Give  the  matter  prompt  attention.  Do  not 


416  PLAIN  FACTS  FOB 

Determine  to  Persevere.  Do  not  Watch  Symptoms. 

delay  to  adopt  curative  measures  under  the  delu- 
sive idea  that  the  difficulty  will  disappear  of  it- 
self. Thousands  have  procrastinated  in  this  way 
until  their  constitutions  have  been  so  hopelessly 
undermined  as  to  make  treatment  of  little  value. 
The  intrinsic  tendency  of  this  disease  is  to  continue 
to  increase.  It  progresses  only  in  one  direction. 
It  never  “ gets 'Well  of  itself,”  as  some  have  imag- 
ined that  it  may  do.  Something  must  be  done  to 
effect  a cure  ; and  the  longer  treatment  is  delayed, 
the  more  difficult  the  case  will  become. 

2.  Set  about  the  work  of  getting  well  with  a 
fixed  determination  to  persevere,  and  never  to 
give  over  the  struggle  until  success  is  attained,  no 
matter  how  difficult  may  be  the  obstacles  to  be 
surmounted.  Such  an  effort  ■will  rarely  be  unsuc- 
cessful. One  of  the  greatest  impediments  to  re- 
covery from  diseases  of  this  class  is  the  vacillating 
dispositions  of  nearly  all  patients  suffering  from 
disorders  of  this  character.  Make  up  your  mind 
what  course  of  treatment  to  pursue,  then  adhere  to 
it  rigidly  until  it  has  received  a thorough  trial. 
Do  not  despair  if  no  very  marked  results  are  seen 
in  a week,  a month,  or  even  a longer  period.  The 
best  remedies  are  among  those  which  operate  the 

most  slowlv. 

•/ 

3.  Avoid  ■watching  for  symptoms.  Ills  are 
greatly  exaggerated  by  dwelling  upon  them.  One 
can  easily  imagine  himself  getting  worse  when  he 
is  really  getting  better.  Indeed,  one  can  make 


OLD  AMD  YOUNG. 


417 


Never  Consult  a Quack.  Employ  a Competent  Physician. 

himself  sick  by  dwelling  upon  insignificant  symp- 
toms. Fix  upon  a course  to  pursue  for  recovery, 
firmly  resolve  to  comply  with  every  requirement 
necessary  to  insure  success,  and  then  let  the  mind' 
be  entirely  at  rest  respecting  the  result. 

4.  Never  consult  a quack.  The  newspapers 
abound  with  lying  advertisements  of  remedies  for 
diseases  of  this  character.  Do  not  waste  time  and 
money  in  corresponding  with  the  ignorant,  un- 
principled charlatans  who  make  such  false  pre- 
tensions. Do  not  consult  traveling  doctors.  Phy- 
sicians of  real  merit  have  plenty  of  business  at 
home.  They  are  not  obliged  to  go  abroad  in  order 
to  secure  practice.  Persons  who  resort  to  this 
course  ai’e,  without  exception,  pretentious  quacks. 
Consult  only  some  well-known  and  reliable  physi- 
cian in  whom  you  have  confidence.  If  your 
physician  treats  the  matter  lightly,  and  advises 
marriage  as  a means  of  cure,  you  will  not  judge 
him  harshly  if  you  decide  that  although  he  may 
be  thoroughly  competent  to  treat  other  diseases,  he 
is  ignorant  of  the  nature  and  proper  treatment  of 
this.  It  is  an  unfortunate  fact  that  there  are 
many  physicians  'who  are  not  thoroughly  ac- 
quainted with  the  nature  of  spermatorrhoea  and 
the  proper  mode ' of  treating  the  disease ; hence 
the  importance  of  making  a judicious  selection  in 
choosing  a medical  adviser.  If  possible,  employ 
one  whom  you  know  to  have  treated  successfully 
numerous  similar  cases,  and  give  him  your  entire 
27 


418 


PLAIN  FACTS. 


Kever  Despair.  A Virtuous  Life  Necessary. 

confidence.  It  is  far  better  to  consult  your  family 
physician  than  to  trust  yourself  in  the  hands  of 
some  one  whom  you  do  not  know,  and  especially 
one  who  makes  great  pretensions  to  knowledge. 

o.  Do  not  despair  of  ever  recovering  from  the 
effects  of  past  transgression,  and  plunge  into 
greater  depths  of  sin.  Persevering,  skillful  treat- 
ment wiU  cure  almost  every  case.  Even  the  worst 
cases  can  be  greatly  benefited  if  the  earnest  co-op- 
eration of  the  patient  can  be  secured.  This  is 
indispensable,  and  the  patient  should  be  so  in- 
structed at  the  outset  of  a course  of  treatment. 

6.  Every  sufferer  from  sexual  disease  must  make 
up  his  mind  to  live,  dmdng  the  remainder  of  his 
life,  as  closely  in  accord  with  the  laws  of  life  and 
health  as  circumstances  under  his  control  Avill 
allow  him  to  do.  One  who  pursues  this  course, 
with  a genuine  regard  for  principle  and  a love  for 
right,  may  confidently  expect  to  receive  the  reward 
of  obedience  for  his  faithfulness.  We  would  rec- 
ommend such  to  obtain  and  study  the  best  works 
upon  hygiene,  put  in  practice  every  new  truth  as 
soon  as  learned,  and  become  missionaries  of  tlie 
saving  truths  of  hygiene  to  others  who  are  suffer- 
ing from  the  same  cause  as  themselves,  or  who 
may  be  in  danger  of  falling  into  the  same  evil 


A Chapter  for  Boys, 


Soys,  tins  chapter  is  for  you.  It  is  written 
and  printed  purposely  for  you.  If  you  do 
not  read  another  word  in  the  book,  read  these  few 
pages  if  you  are  old  enough  to  do  so.  Read  each 
line  carefully  and  thoughtfully.  You  may  not  find 
anything  to  make  you  laugh — possibly  you  may  ; 
but  you  will  be  certain  to  find  something  of  almost 
inestimable  value  to  you  in  every  line. 

Who  are  Boys  ? — Boys  are  scarce  now-a-daj^s. 
In  the  days  of  Methuselah,  male  human  beings  were 
still  boys  when  nearly  a century  old ; twenty -five 
years  ago  boys  were  still  such  until  well  out  of  their 
“ teens  ” ; now  the  interval  between  infancy  and 
the  age  at  which  the  boy  becomes  a young  man  is 
so  brief  that  boyhood  is  almost  a thing  of  the  past. 
The  happy  period  of  care-free,  joyous  innocence 
which  formerly  intervened  between  childhood  and 
early  manhood  is  now  almost  unobservable.  Boys 
grow  old  too  fast.  They  learn  to  imitate  the  vices 
and  the  mannei’s  of  their  seniors  before  they  reach 
their  teens,  and  are  impatient  to  be  counted  as  men, 
no  matter  how  great  may  be  their  deficiencies,  their 
unfitness  for  the  important  duties  and  responsibili- 
ties of  life.  The  consequence  of  this  inordinate 

haste  and  impatience  to  be  old,  is  premature  decay. 

419 


420  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Who  are  Boys?  What  are  Boys  for? 

Unfortunately  the  general  tendency  of  the  young 
members  of  the  rising  generation  is  to  copy  the 
vices  of  their  elders,  rather  than  the  virtues  of  true 
manliness.  A strong  evidence  of  this  fact,  if  there 
were  no  other,  is  the  unnaturally  old-looking  faces 
which  so  many  of  our  boys  present.  At  the  pres- 
ent time  the  average  boy  of  twelve  knows  more  of 
vice  and  sin  than  the  youth  of  twenty  of  the  past 
generation. 

It  is  not  so  much  for  these  human  mushrooms, 
which  may  be  not  inaptly  compared  to  toadstools 
which  grow  up  in  a single  night  and  almost  as 
speedily  decay,  that  we  write,  but  for  the  old-fash- 
ioned boys,  the  few  such  there  may  be,  those  who 
have  not  yet  learned  to  love  sin,  those  whose  minds 
are  still  pure  and  uncontaminated.  Those  who 
have  already  begun  a course  of  vice  and  wicked- 
ness we  have  little  hope  of  reforming ; but  we  are 
anxious  to  offer  a few  words  of  counsel  and  warn- 
ing which  may  possibly  help  to  save  as  brands 
plucked  from  a blazing  fire,  those  whose  moral 
sense  is  yet  alive,  who  have  quick  and  tender  con- 
sciences, who  aspire  to  be  truly  noble  and  good. 

What  are  Boys  for? — This  question  was  an- 
swered with  exact  truthfulness  by  a little  boy,  who, 
when  contemptuously  accosted  by  a man  with  the 
remark,  “ What  are  you  good  for  ? ” replied,  “ Men 
are  made  of  such  as  we.”  Boys  are  the  beginnings 
of  men.  They  sustain  the  same  relation  to  men 
that  the  buds  do  to  full-blown  flowers.  They 


OLD  AND  YOUNG.  42l 

Boys  the  Hope  of  the  World.  Man  the  Masterpiece. 

are  still  more  like  the  small  green  apples  which 
first  appear  when  the  blossoms  drop  from  the 
branches,  compared  with  the  ripe,  luscious  fruit 
which  in  autumn  bends  the  heavy-laden  boughs 
almost  to  breaking.  Often,  like  the  young  apples, 
boys  are  green ; but  this  is  only  natural,  and  should 
be  considered  no  disgrace  to  the  boys.  If  they 
grow  up  naturally  they  will  ripen  with  age,  like  the 
fruit,  developing  at  each  successive  stage  of  life 
additional  attractions  and  excellent  qualities. 

Boys  the  Hope  of  the  World. — A nation’s  most 
valuable  property  is  its  boys.  A nation  which  has 
poor,  weakly,  vicious  boys  will  have  still  weaker, 
more  vicious  and  untrustworthy  men.  A country 
with  noble,  virtuous,  vigorous  boys,  is  equally  sure  of 
having  noble,  pious,  brave,  and  energetic  men.  What- 
ever debases,  contaminates,  or  in  any  way  injures 
the  boys  of  a country,  saps  and  undermines  the  very 
foundation  of  the  nation’s  strength  and  greatness. 
Save  the  boys  from  vice  and  crime,  give  them  good 
training,  physically,  mentally,  and  morally,  and  the 
prosperity  of  the  nation  is  assured. 

Man  the  Masterpiece. — When  a skillful  artist 
perfects  a work  of  art,  a painting,  a drawing,  a 
statue,  or  some  other  work  requiring  great  talent 
and  exceeding  all  his  other  efforts,  it  is  called  his 
masterpiece.  So  man  is  the  noblest  work  of  God, 
the  masterpiece  of  the  Almighty.  Numerous  anec- 
dotes are  told  of  the  sagacity  of  dogs,  horses,  ele- 
phants and  other  animals,  of  their  intelligence  and 


422  PLAIN  FACTS  FOE 

Mau  Superior  to  all  Other  Animals.  How  a Noble  Character  is  Kuined. 

ingenious  devices  in  overcoming  obstacles,  avoiding 
difficulties,  etc.  Our  admiration  and  wonder  are 
often  excited  by  the  scarcely  less  than  human  wis- 
dom shown  by  these  lowly  brothers  of  the  human 
race.  We  call  them  noble  animals;  but  they  are 
only  noble  brutes,  at  best.  Compared  with  man, 
even  in  his  most  humble  form,  as  seen  in  the  wild 
savage  that  hunts  and  devours  his  prey  like  a wild 
beast,  a lion  or  a tiger,  they  are  immeasurably  infe- 
rior. And  in  his  highest  development,  man  civil- 
ized, cultivated.  Christianized,  learned,  generous, 
pious,  certainly  stands  at  the  head  of  all  created 
things. 

Boys,  do  you  love  what  is  noble,  what  is  pure, 
what  is  grand,  what  is  good  ? You  may  each,  if 
you  will,  become  such  yourselves.  Let  us  consid- 
er for  a moment 

How  a Noble  Character  is  Huined. — A noble 
character  is  formed  by  the  development  of  the  good 
qualities  of  an  individual.  A bad  character  is 
formed  by  the  development  of  bad  traits,  or  evil 
propensities.  In  other  words,  sin  is  the  cause  of 
the  demoralization  of  character,  the  debasing  of  the 
mind,  the  loss  of  nobility  of  which  we  see  so  much 
ai'ound  us  in  the  world.  Sin  is  the  transgression 
of  some  law.  There  are  rivo  kinds  of  sins : those 
which  are  transgressions  of  the  moral  law,  and 
those  which  are  transgressions  of  physical  laws. 
Both  classes  of  sins  are  followed  by  penalties.  If  a 
person  violates  the  laws  of  health,  he  is  just  as  cer- 


OLD  AND  TO  UNO. 


428 


The  Marvelous  HiiBuin  Machine.  Tlie  Two  Objects  of  Human  Existence. 

tain  to  suffer  as  though  he  tells  a falsehood,  steals, 
murders,  or  commits  any  other  crime.  Perfect  obe- 
dience to  all  of  nature’s  laws,  including  of  course  all 
moral  laws,  is  necessary  to  perfect  health  and  per- 
fect nobleness  of  character.  The  nature  of  these 
laws  and  the  results  of  transgression  will  be  under- 
stood after  we  have  taken  a hasty  glance  at 
The  Marvelous  Human  Machine  which  we 
call  the  body.  All  the  inventions  and  devices  ever 
constructed  by  the  human  hand  or  conceived  by 
the  human  mind,  no  matter  how  delicate,  how  in- 
tricate and  complicated,  are  simple,  childish  toys 
compared  with  that  most  marvelously  wrought 
mechanism,  the  human  body.  Let  us  proceed  to 
take  this  wonderful  machine  in  pieces  and  study 
its  various  parts  and  the  manner  in  wdiich  they  are 
put  together. 

The  Two  Objects  of  Human  Existence. — The 
objects  of  this  wonderfully  formed  mechanism  are 
two : 1.  The  maintenance  of  an  individual  life ; 2. 
The  production  of  similar  individuals  which  shall 
also  have  the  power  of  maintaining  individual  lives. 
The  same  may  be  said  of  every  plant  that  grows, 
and  every  animal.  Each  tree,  plant,  and  shrub  has 
some  useful  service  to  perform  while  it  lives,  in  ad- 
dition to  the  production  of  seed  from  which  other 
plants  may  grow.  For  example,  the  object  of  the 
majestic  oak  which  towers  high  and  broadly  spreads 
its  leafy  branches  is  not  to  produce  acorns  merely, 
but  to  give  place  for  birds  to  build  their  nests,  to 


424 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOE 


Olflects  of  LiTing  Creatures.  Conditions  of  Human  Existence. 

present  an  inviting  shade  for  cattle,  and  to  afford 
protection  in  a variety  of  ways  to  numerous  living' 
creatures  which  need  such  aid.  The  same  may  he 
said  of  all  vegetable  growths,  each  particular  plant 
having  its  peculiar  purposes  to  fulfill,  and  all  to- 
gether acting  as  purifiers  of  the  air  for  the  benefit 
of  man  and  lower  animals. 

The  principle  is  equally  true  as  applied  to  lower 
animals,  as  is  evidenced  by  the  numerous  ways  in 
which  domestic  animals  are  utilized.  Indeed,  it 
seems  that  the  prime  purpose  of  life,  not  only  with 
all  lowly  living  creatures,  as  plants  and  animals, 
but  with  man  as  well,  is  to  live  and  act  as  indi- 
viduals. But  the  important  function  of  reproduc- 
tion, or  producing  other  similar  individuals,  though 
incidental,  is  necessary  to  the  perpetuation  of  the 
race  or  species. 

In  order  that  an  individual  human  being  may 
live  and  develop,  it  is  necessary  that  he  should  eat, 
drink,  digest,  and  assimilate,  and  that  he  should  be 
able  to  move  about,  to  perceive, — that  is,  to  hear,  see, 
feel,  smell,  taste,  determine  weight  and  distinguish 
temperature, — to  think,  and  to  express  ideas  in  lan- 
guage. In  order  to  keep  his  vital  machinery  in  order, 
it  is  necessary  that  the  body  should  also  be  able  to 
repair  injuries  which  may  occur  in  consequence  of 
wear  or  accident,  and  to  remove  out  of  the  way 
wornout  material  which  would  otherwise  obstruct 
the  working  of  the  delicate  machinery  of  which  his 
body  is  constructed.  Each  of  these  functions  re- 


OLD  AND  YO  UNO. 


425 


The  Vital  Processes.  The  NutritiTe  Apparatus. 

quires  special  organs  and  apparatuses  to  carry  on 
the  work ; and  these  we  will  now  briefly  consider — 

The  Nutritive  Apparatus. — This  consists  of  or- 
gans for  the  purpose  of  taking  in  food  or  nourish- 
ment, digesting  it,  and  distributing  it  throughout 
the  body  wherever  it  is  needed.  These  are  chiefly 
the  mouth  and  teeth  for  receiving  and  chewing 
the  food,  the  stomach  and  intestines  for  digesting 
and  absorbing  it,  and  the  heart  and  blood-vessels 
for  distributing  it  to  the  body. 

The  Moving  Apparatus.— For  the  purpose  of 
producing  motion,  we  have  the  muscles  and  the 
bones,  by  which  the  food  is  received,  masticated, 
and  swallowed,  the  blood  circulated,  the  body 
moved  about  from  place  to  place,  and  speech,  expres- 
sion, respiration,  and  many  other  important  func- 
tions performed. 

The  Thinking  and  Feeling  Apparatus. — The 
brain  and  nerves  afford  the  means  of  thinking  and 
feeling,  also  giving  rise  to  all  the  activities  of  the 
body  by  the  production  of  nerve  force.  To  aid  the 
brain  and  nerves,  we  have  special  organs  provided, 
termed  the  organs  of  special  sense ; as  the  eye  for 
sight,  the  ear  for  hearing,  the  nose  for  tire  detec- 
tion of  odors,  the  tongue  for  tasting,  the  skin  and 
the  mucous  membrane  for  the  sense  of  touch. 

The  Purifying  Apparatus. — Waste  matter  ac- 
cumulates in  the  body  so  rapidly  that  it  is  neces- 
sary to  have  abundant  and  efficient  means  to  re- 
move the  same,  and  prevent  death  by  obstruction. 


426  PLAIN  PACTS  POE 

The  Reproductive  Apparatus.  Oontrasted  with  Other  Vital  Organs, 

This  work  is  performed  by  the  lungs,  liver,  kid- 
neys, skin,  and  mucous  membrane. 

Each  organ  and  tissue  possesses  the  power  to  re- 
pair itself.  Animal  heat,  which  is  also  necessary 
to  life,  is  not  produced  by  any  special  set  of  organs, 
but  results  incidentally  from  the  various  other 
processes  named. 

The  Reproductive  Apparatus. — As  there  is  a 
stomach  to  digest,  a brain  to  think,  a pair  of  lungs 
to  breathe,  etc.,  so  there  are  special  organs  for  repro- 
ducing the  species  or  producing  new  individuals. 
These  organs  have  been  carefully  described  in  the 
preceding  portion  of  this  volume,  so  that  we  do  not 
need  to  repeat  the  description  here.  Unlike  all  the 
other  organs  of  the  body,  they  are  intended  for  use 
only  after  full  development  or  manhood  has  been 
attained ; consequently,  they  are  only  partially  de- 
veloped in  childliood,  becoming  perfected  as  the 
person  becomes  older,  especially  after  about  the  age 
of  fourteen  to  eighteen,  when  puberty  occurs.  The 
lungs,  the  stomach,  the  muscles,  and  other  organs 
must  be  used  constantly  from  the  earliest  period  of 
infancy,  hence  they  are  developed  sufficiently  for 
efficient  use  at  birth.  The  fact  that  the  sexual  or 
reproductive  organs  are  only  fully  developed  later  on 
in  life,  is  sufficient  evidence  that  they  are  intended 
for  use  only  when  the  body  has  become  fully  ma- 
ture and  well  developed. 

How  a Noble  Character  and  a Sound  Body 
Must  Be  Formed. — By  obeying  all  the  laws 


OLD  AND  TOZrjf^Q.  427 

How  to  Form  a Noble  Character.  The  Dowu-Hill  Road. 

which  relate  to  the  healthy  action  of  the  body  and 
the  mind,  a noble  character  and  a healthy  body  may 
be  formed.  Any  deviation  from  rig'ht  will  be  sure 
to  be  followed  by  suffering.  A boy  who  carefully 
heeds  the  advice  of  good  and  wise  parents,  who 
avoids  bad  company,  who  never  indulges  in  bad 
habits  of  any  sort,  who  cultivates  purity,  honesty, 
and  manliness,  is  certain  to  grow  up  into  a noble, 
lovely  youth,  and  to  become  an  intelligent,  respect- 
ed, virtuous  man. 

Tlie  Down-Hill  Hoad. — In  every  large  city,  and 
in  small  ones  too,  even  in  little  villages,  we  can 
scarcely  step  upon  the  street  without  being  pained 
at  meeting  little  boys  who  have  perhaps  scarcely 
learned  to  speak  distinctly,  but  whose  faces  show 
very  plainly  that  they  have  already  taken  several 
steps  down  the  steep  hillside  of  vice.  All  degrees 
of  wickedness  are  pictured  on  the  faces  of  a large 
proportion  of  the  boys  we  meet  upon  the  streets, 
loitering  about  the  corners,  loafing  in  hotels,  gro- 
ceries, and  about  bar-room  doors.  Everywhere  we 
meet  small  faces  upon  which  sin  and  vice  are  as 
clearly  written  as  though  the  words  were  actually 
spelled  out.  Lying,  swearing,  smoking,  petty  steal- 
ing, and  brazen  impudence  are  among  the  vices 
which  contaminate  thousands  and  thousands  of  the 
boys  who  are  by-and-by  to  become  the  men  of 
this  country,  to  constitute  its  legislators,  its  educa- 
tors, its  supporters,  and  its  protectors.  Is  it  possi- 
ble that  such  boys  can  become  good,  useful,  noble. 


428  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Self-Abuse.  A Dreadful  Sin. 

trustworthy  men  ? Scarcely.  If  the  seeds  of  nox- 
ious weeds  can  he  made  to  produce  useful  plants 
or  beautiful  flowers,  or  if  a barren,  worthless  shrub 
can  be  made  to  bear  luscious  fruit,  then  may  we 
expect  to  see  these  vicious  boys  grow  up  into  vir- 
tuous, useful  men. 

But  the  vices  mentioned  are  not  the  worst,  the 
traces  of  which  we  see  stamped  upon  the  faces  of 
hundreds  of  boys,  some  of  whom,  too,  would  scorn 
to  commit  any  one  of  the  sins  named.  There  is 
another  vice,  still  more  terrible,  more  blighting  in 
its  effects,  a vice  which  defiles,  diseases,  and  de- 
sti’oys  the  body,  enervates,  degrades,  and  finally 
dethrones  the  mind,  debases  and  ruins  the  soul.  It 
is  to  this  vice  that  we  wish  especially  to  call  atten- 
tion. It  is  known  as 

Self- Abuse. — Secret  vice,  masturbation,  and  self- 
pollution are  other  names  applied  to  this  same  aw- 
ful sin  against  nature  and  against  God.  We  shall 
not  explain  here  the  exact  nature  of  the  sin,  as  very 
few  boys  are  so  ignorant  cr  so  innocent  as  to  be  un- 
acquainted with  it.  To  this  sin  and  its  awful  con- 
sequences we  now  wish  to  call  the  attention  of  all 
who  may  read  these  lines. 

A Dreadful  Sin. — The  sin  of  self-pollution  is 
one  of  the  vilest,  the  basest,  and  the  most  degrad- 
insr  that  a human  being  can  commit.  It  is  worse 
than  beastly.  Those  who  commit  it  place  therh- 
selves  far  below  the  meanest  brute  that  breathes. 
The  most  loathsome  reptile,  rolling  in  the  slush  and 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


429 


Lower  than  the  Brutes.  Bible  Warnings. 

slime  of  its  stagnant  pool,  would  not  bemean  itself 
thus.  It  is  true  that  monkeys  sometimes  have  the 
habit,  but  only  when  they  have  been  taught  it  by 
vile  men  or  boys.  A boy  who  is  thus  guilty  ought 
to  be  ashamed  to  look  into  the  eyes  of  an  honest 
dog.  Such  a boy  naturally  shuns  the  company  of 
those  who  are  pure  and  innocent.  He  cannot  look 
with  assurance  into  his  mother’s  face.  It  is  diffi- 
cult for  any  one  to  catch  his  eye,  even  for  a few  sec- 
onds. He  feels  his  guilt  and  acts  it  out,  thus  mak- 
ing it  known  to  every  one.  Let  such  a boy  think 
how  he  must  appear  in  the  eyes  of  the  Almighty. 
Let  him  only  think  of  the  angels,  pure,  innocent, 
and  holy,  who  are  eye-witnesses  of  his  shameful 
practices.  Is  not  the  thought  appalling?  Would 
he  dare  commit  such  a sin  in  the  presence  of  his 
father,  his  mother,  or  his  sisters  ? No,  indeed. 
How,  then,  will  he  dare  to  defile  himself  in  the 
presence  of  Him  from  whose  all-seeing  eye  nothing 
is  hid  ? 

The  Bible  utters  the  most  solemn,  warnings 
against  sexual  sins.  The  inhabitants  of  Sodom  and 
Gomorrah  were  destroyed  by  fire  and  brimstone  for 
such  trangressions.  Onan  was  struck  dead  in  the 
act  of  committing  a vileness  of  this  sort.  For  sim- 
ilar vices  the  wicked  inhabitants  of  Palestine  were 
destroyed,  and  their  lands  given  to  the  Hebrews. 
For  a single  violation  of  the  seventh  commandment, 
one  of  the  most  notable  Bible  characters,  David, 
suflfered  to  the  day  of  his  death.  Those  who  imag- 


430  PLAIN  FACTS  FOB, 

Violation  of  the  Seventh  Commandment.  A Self-Deception. 

ine  that  this  sin  is  not  a transgression  of  the  sev- 
enth commandment  may  be  assured  that  this  most 
heinous,  r-ivolting,  and  unnatural  vice  is  in  every 
respect  mi>re  pernicious,  more  debasing,  and  more 
immoral  than  what  is  generally  considered  as  viola- 
tion of  the  commandment  which  says,  “ Thou  shalt 
not  commit  adultery,”  and  is  itself  a most  flagrant 
violation  of  the  same  commandment. 

Those  who  imagine  that  they  “ have  a right  to 
do  as  they  please  with  themselves,”  so  long  as  no 
one  else  is  immediately  afiected,  must  learn  that  we 
are  not  our  own  masters ; we  belong  to  our  Creator, 
and  are  accountable  to  God  not  only  for  the  man- 
ner in  which  we  treat  our  fellow-men,  but  for  how 
we  treat  ourselves,  for  the  manner  in  which  we  use 
the  bodies  which  he  has  given  us.  The  man  who 
commits  suicide,  who  takes  his  own  life,  is  a mur- 
derer as  much  as  he  who  kills  a fellow-man.  So, 
also,  he  who  pollutes  himself  in  the  manner  we  are 
considering,  violates  the  seventh  commandment,  al- 
though the  crime  is  in  both  cases  committed  against 
himself.  Think  of  this,  ye  youth  who  defile  • your- 
selves in  secret  and  seek  to  escape  the  punishment 
of  sin.  In  Heaven  a faithful  record  of  your  vile 
commandment-breaking  is  kept,  and  you  must 
meet  it  by-and-by.  You  are  fixing  your  fate  for 
eternity ; and  each  daily  act  in  some  degree  deter- 
mines what  it  shall  be.  Are  you  a victim  of  this 
fascinating  vice,  stop,  repent,  reform,  before  you 
are  forever  ruined,  a mental,  moral,  and  physical 
wreck. 


OLD  AND  YOUNG.  431 

Self-Murderers.  What  Makes  Boys  Dwiirfs. 

Self-Murderers. — Of  all  the  vices  to  which  hu- 
man beings  are  addicted,  no  other  so  rapidly  undei'- 
mines  the  constitution  and  so  certainly3  makes  a 
complete  wreck  of  an  individual  as  thi&j  especial- 
ly when  the  habit  is  begun  at  an  early  age.  It 
wastes  the  most  precious  part  of  the  blood,  uses  up 
the  vital  forces,  and  finally  leaves  the  poor  vic- 
tim a most  utterly  ruined  and  loathsome  object. 
If  a boy  should  be  deprived  of  both  hands  and  feet 
and  should  lose  his  eyesight,  he  would  still  be  in- 
finitely better  ofi"  than  the  boy  who  for  years  gives 
himseK  up  to  the  gratification  of  lust  in  secret  vice. 
For  such  a boy  to  become  a strong,  vigorous  man  is 
just  as  impossible  as  it  w^ould  be  to  make  a mam- 
moth tree  out  of  a currant  bush.  Such  a man  will 
necessarily  be  short-lived.  He  will  always  suffer 
from  the  effects  of  his  folly,  even  though  he  shall 
marry.  If  he  has  children — he  may  become  inca- 
pable— they  will  be  quite  certain  to  be  puny,  weak, 
scrofulous,  consumptive,  rickety,  nervous,  depraved 
in  body  and  mind,  or  otherwise  deprived  of  the 
happiness  which  grows  out  of  the  possession  of  “ a 
sound  mind  in  a sound  body.” 

Let  us  notice  a little  more  closely  the  terrible  ef- 
fects resultina:  from  this  most  unnatural  and  abom- 
inable  vice. 

What  Makes  Boys  Dwarfs. — How  many  times 
have  we  seen  boys  who  were  born  with  good  con- 
stitutions, with  force  and  stamina  sufiicient  to  de- 
velop them  into  large,  vigorous  men,  become  puny 


432 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 


Human  Wrecks.  Scrawny,  Hollow-Eyed  Boys, 

dwarfs.  At  the  time  when  they  ought  to  begin  to 
grow  and  develop  more  rapidly  than  ever  before, 
their  growth  is  checked  and  they  cease  to  develop. 
They  are,  in  fact,  stunted,  dwarfed,  like  a plant 
which  has  a canker-worm  eating  away  at  its  roots. 
Indeed,  there  is  a veritable  canker-worm  sapping 
their  vitality,  undermining  their  constitutions,  and 
destroying  their  prospects  for  time  and  for  eternity. 
Anxious  friends  may  attribute  the  unhappy  change 
to  overwork,  overstudy,  or  some  similar  cause  ; but 
from  a somewhat  extended  observation  we  are  thor- 
oughly convinced  that  the  very  vice  which  we  are 
considering  is  the  viper  which  blights  the  prospects 
and  poisons  the  existence  of  many  of  these  prom- 
ising boys. 

A boy  who  gives  himself  up  to  the  practice  of 
secret  vice  at  an  early  age,  say  as  early  as  seven  to 
ten  years  of  age,  is  certain  to  make  himself  a wreck. 
Instead  of  having  a healthy,  vigorous  body,  with 
strong  muscles  and  a hardy  constitution,  he  will 
be  weak,  scrawny,  sickly,  always  complaining,  nev- 
er well,  and  will  never  know  anything  about  that 
joyous  exuberance  of  life  and  animal  spirits  which 
the  young  antelope  feels  as  it  bounds  over  the  plain, 
or  the  vigorous  young  colt  as  it  frisks  about  its 
pasture,  and  which  every  youth  ought  to  feel. 

Scrawny,  Hollow-Eyed  Boys.— Boys  ought  to 
be  fresh  and  vigorous  as  little  lambs.  They  ought 
to  be  plump,  rosy,  bright-eyed,  and  sprightly.  A 
boy  who  is  pale,  scrawny,  hollow-eyed,  dull,  listless. 


OLD  AND  YOUNG.  433 

13oys.  >Vliat  Makes  Idiots. 

has  something  the  matter  with  him.  Self-abuse 
makes  thousands  of  just  such  boys  every  year ; and 
it  is  just  such  boys  that  make  vicious,  shiftless, 
haggard,  unhappy  men.  This  horrible  vice  steak 
away  the  health  and  vitality  which  are  needed  to 
develop  the  body  and  the  mind ; and  the  lad  that 
ought  to  make  his  mark  in  the  world,  that  ought 
to  become  a distinguished  statesman,  orator,  clergy- 
man, physician,  or  author,  becomes  little  more  than 
a living  animal,  a mere  shadow  of  what  he  ought 
to  have  been. 

Old  Boys. — Often  have  we  felt  sad  when  we 
have  heard  fond  mothers  speaking  in  glowing  terms 
of  the  old  ways  of  their  sons,  and  rather  glorying 
that  they  looked  so  much  older  than  they  were. 
In  nine  cases  out  of  ten  these  old-looking  boys  owe 
their  appearance  to  this  vile  habit ; for  it  is  exceed- 
ingly common,  and  its  dreadful  effects  in  shriveling 
and  dwarfing  and  destroying  the  human  form  are 
too  plainly  perceptible,  when  present,  to  be  mis- 
taken. Oh  ! this  dreadful  curse  ! Why  will  so  many 
of  our  bright,  innocent  boys  pollute  themselves 
with  it ! 

What  Makes  Idiots. — Reader,  have  you  ever  seen 
an  idiot  ? If  you  have,  the  hideous  picture  will 
never  be  dissipated  from  your  memory.  The  vacant 
stare,  the  drooping,  drooling  mouth,  the  unsteady 
gait,  the  sensual  look,  the  emptiness  of  mind, — all 
these  you  will  well  remember.  Did  you  ever  stop  to 
think  how  idiots  are  made  ? It  is  by  this  very  vice 
28 


434 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOB 


Sunk  Below  the  Brute.  Young  Dyspeptics. 

that  the  ranks  of  these  poor  daft  mortals  are  being 
recruited  every  day.  Every  visitor  to  an  insane 
asylum  sees  scores  of  them ; ruined  in  mind  and 
body,  only  the  semblance  of  a human  being,  bereft 
of  sense,  lower  than  a beast  in  many  respects,  a hu- 
man being  hopelessly  lost  to  himself  and  to  the 
world  ! — oh,  most  terrible  thought ! — yet  once  pure, 
intelligent,  active,  perhaps  the  hope  of  a fond 
mother,  the  pride  of  a doting  father,  and  possibly 
possessed  of  natural  ability  to  become  greatly  dis- 
tinguished in  some  of  the  many  noble  and  useful 
walks  of  life  ; now  sunk  below  the  brute  through 
the  degrading,  destroying  influence  of  a lustful 
gratification. 

Boys,  are  you  guilty  of  this  terrible  sin  ? have 
you  even  once  in  this  way  yielded  to  the  tempter’s 
voice  ? , Stop,  consider,  think  of  the  awful  results,  re- 
pent, confess  to  God,  reform.  Another  step  in  that 
direction  and  you  may  be  lost,  soul  and  body.  You 
cannot  dally  with  the  tempter.  You  must  escape 
now  or  never.  Do  n’t  delay. 

Young  Dyspeptics. — If  we  leave  out  of  th.e 
consideration  the  efiects  of  bad  food  and  worse 
cookery,  there  is  in  our  estimation  no  other  cause 
so  active  in  occasioning  the  early  breaking  down  of 
the  digestive  organs  of  our  American  boys.  A boy 
of  ten  or  twelve  years  of  age  ought  to  have  a stom- 
ach capable  of  digesting  anything  not  absolutely 
indigestible ; but  there  are  to-day  thousands  and 
thousands  of  boys  of  that  age  whose  stomachs  are 


OLD  AND  YOUNG.  435 

A Cause  of  Consumption.  Self-Murderers, 

so  impaired  as  to  be  incapable  of  digesting  any  but 
the  most  simple  food.  The  digestion  being  ruined, 
the  teeth  soon  follow  suit.  Haixlly  one  boy  in  a 
dozen  has  perfectly  sound  teeth.  With  a bad  stom- 
ach and  bad  teeth,  a foundation  for  disease  is  laid 
which  is  sure  to  result  in  eaidy  decay  of  the  whole 
body. 

In  this  awful  vice  do  we  find  a cause,  too,  for  the 
thousands  of  cases  of  consumption  in  young  men. 
At  the  very  time  when  they  ought  to  be  in  their 
prime,  they  break  down  in  health  and  become  help- 
less invalids  for  life,  or  speedily  sink  into  an  early 
grave. 

Upon  their  tombstones  might  justly  be  graven, 
“ Here  lies  a self-murderer.”  Providence  is  not  to 
blame  ; nor  is  climate,  weather,  overwork,  overstudy, 
or  any  other  even  seemingly  plausible  cause,  to  be 
blamed.  Their  own  sins  have  sunk  them  in  men- 
tal, moral,  and  physical  perdition.  Such  a victim 
literally  dies  by  his  own  hand,  a veritable  suicide. 
Appalling  thought ! It  is  a grand  thing  to  die  for 
one’s  principles,  a martyr  to  his  love  of  right  and 
truth.  One  may  die  blameless  who  is  the  victim 
of  some  dire  contagious  malady  which  he  could  not 
avoid  ; even  the  poor,  downcast  misanthrope  Avhose 
hopes  are  blighted  and  whose  sorrows  multiplied, 
may  possibly  be  in  some  degree  excused  for  wishing 
to  end  his  misery  with  his  life ; but  the  wretched 
being  who  sheds  his  life-blood  by  the  disgusting  ma- 
neuvers of  self-pollution — what  can  be  said  to  ex- 


436 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 


The  Race  Ruined  by  Boys.  A Cause  of  Race  Beterioratioiu 

tenuate  his  guilt  ? His  is  a double  crime.  Let 
him  pass  from  the  memory  of  his  fellow-men.  He 
will  perish,  overwhelmed  with  his  own  vileness.  Let 
him  die,  and  return  to  the  dust  from  which  he 
sprang. 

The  Race  Ruined  by  Boys.— The  human  race 
is  growing  steadily  weaker  year  by  year.  The 
boys  of  to-day  would  be  no  match  in  physical 
strength  for  the  sturdy  youths  of  a century  ago 
who  are  now  their  grandparents.  An  immense 
amount  of  skillful  training  enables  now  and  then 
one  to  accomplish  some  wonderful  feat  of  walking, 
rowing,  or  swimming,  but  we  hear  very  little  of  re- 
markable feats  of  labor  accomplished  by  our  mod- 
ern boys.  Even  the  country  boys  of  to-day  cannot 
endure  the  hard  work  which  their  fathers  accom- 
plished at  the  same  age ; and  we  doubt  not  that 
this  growing  physical  weakness  is  one  of  the  rea- 
sons why  so  large  a share  of  the  boys  whose  fa- 
thers are  farmers,  and  who  have  been  reared  on 
farms,  are  unwilling  to  follow  the  occupation  of 
their  fathers  for  a livelihood.  They  are  too  weak- 
ly to  do  the  work  required  by  an  agricultural  life, 
even  by  the  aid  of  the  numerous  labor-saving  in- 
ventions of  the  age. 

What  is  it  that  is  undermining  the  health  of 
the  race  and  sapping  the  constitutions  of  our 
American  men  ? No  doubt  much  may  be  attrib- 
uted to  the  unnatural  refinements  of  civilization  in 
several  directions ; but  there  can  be  no  doubt  that 


OLD  AND  rOUNO.  437 

Responsibility  of  Boys.  Cases  Illustrating  the  Effects  of  Self-Abuse. 

vice  is  the  most  active  cause  of  all.  Secret  sin  and 
its  kindred  vices  yearly  ruin  more  constitutions 
than  hard  work,  severe  study,  hunger,  cold,  priva- 
tion, and  disease  combined. 

Boys,  the  destiny  of  the  race  is  in  your  hands. 
You  can  do  more  than  all  the  doctors,  all  the  scien- 
tists and  most  eminent  political  men  in  the  world, 
to  secure  the  prosperity  and  future  greatness  of  the 
nation,  by  taking  care  of  yourselves,  by  being  pure, 
noble,  true  to  yourselves  and  to  the  demands  of  high 
moral  principle. 

Cases  Illustrating  the  Effects  of  Self- Abuse. — 
The  land  is  full  of  poor  human  wrecks  who  have 
dashed  in  pieces  their  hopes  for  this  world,  and  too 
often  for  the  next  also,  against  this  hideous  rock 
which  lies  hidden  in  the  pathway  of  every  young 
man  who  starts  out  upon  life’s  stormy  voyage.  Glad- 
13^  would  we  draw  the  veil  and  cover  them  with  all 
their  dreadful  deformities  with  the  mantle  of  char- 
ity from  the  gaze  of  their  fellow-beings ; but  their 
number  is  so  great  that  this  could  scarcely  be  done, 
and  the  lesson  to  be  learned  from  their  sad  fate  is 
such  a grave  one,  and  so  needful  for  the  good  of  the 
generation  of  3'oung  men  who  are  just  encountering 
the  same  dangers,  that  we  cannot  resist  the  prompt- 
ings of  duty  to  present  a few  examples  of  the  effects 
of  vice  in  men  and  boys  that  have  fallen  imder  our 
own  observation.  We  have  seen  hundreds  of  cases 
of  this  sort ; have  treated  many  scores  of  persons 
for  the  effects  of  the  terrible  crime  which  we  are 


438 


FLAIN  FACTS  FOB 


Two  Young  Wrecks.  A Terrible  Disease. 

seeking-  to  sound  a warning  against,  and  the  num- 
ber of  cases  we  might  describe  would  fill  a volume ; 
but  we  yvill  select  only  a very  few. 

Two  Young  Wrecks. — Charles  and  Oscar  B 

were  the  sons  of  a farmer  in  a Western  State,  a^ed 
i-espectively  ten  and  twelve  years.  They  possessed 
well-formed  heads,  and  once  had  beautiful  faces, 
and  were  as  bright  and  sprightly  as  any  little  bo3's 
of  their  age  to  be  found  anj-where.  Their  father 
was  proud  of  them,  and  their  fond  mother  took 
great  pleasure  in  building  bright  prospects  for  her 
darling  sons  when  they  should  attain  maturity  and 
become  competent  to  fill  useful  and  honorable  posi- 
tions in  the  world.  Living  in  a rapidly-growing 
AVestern  community,  they  had  every  prospect  of 
grooving  up  to  honorable  usefulness,  a comfort  to 
their  parents,  a blessing  to  the  world,  and  capable 
of  enjoying  life  in  the  highest  degree. 

But  suddenly  certain  manifestations  appeared 
which  gave  rise  to  grave  apprehensions  on  the  part 
of  the  parents.  It  was  observed  that  the  elder  of 
the  little  boys  no  longer  played  about  with  that 
nimbleness  which  he  had  formerly  shown,  but 
seemed  slow  and  stiff  in  his  movements.  Some- 
times, indeed,  he  would  stagger  a little  when  he 
walked.  Soon,  also,  his  speech  became  afiected  in 
some  degree  ; he  mumbled  his  words  and  could  not 
speak  distinctly.  In  spite  of  all  that  could  be  done, 
the  disease  continued,  increasing  slowly  in  all  its 
symptoms  from  week  to  week.  Soon  the  hands,  also. 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


439 


A Mother’s  Hopes  Blasted.  An  Awful  Picture. 

H 

became  affected,  so  that  the  little  boy  could  not 
feed  himself.  The  mind  now  began  to  fail.  The 
bright  eyes  became  vacant  and  expressionless.  In- 
stead of  the  meriy  light  which  used  to  shine  in 
them,  there  was  a blank,  idiotic  stare. 

Imagine  the  grief  and  anguish  of  the  poor  mother  I 
No  one  but  a mother  who  has  been  called  to  pass 
through  a similar  trial  could  know  how  to  sympa- 
thize with  such  a one.  Her  darling  son  she  saw 
daily  becoming  a prey  to  a strange,  incurable  mala- 
dy, with  no  power  even  to  stay  the  progress  of  the 
terrible  disease. 

But  there  was  stiU  greater  grief  in  store  for  her. 
Within  a year  or  two  the  younger  son  began  to  show 
symptoms  of  the  same  character,  and  in  spite  of  all 
that  was  done,  rapidly  sank  into  the  same  helpless 
state  as  his  brother.  As  a last  resort,  the  mother 
took  her  boys  and  came  a long  journey  to  place  her 
sons  under  our  care.  At  that  time  they  were  both 
nearly  helpless.  Neither  could  walk  but  a few 
steps.  They  reeled  and  staggered  about  like 
drunken  men,  falling  down  upon  each  other  and 
going  through  the  most  agonizing  contortions  in 
their  attempts  to  work  their  way  from  one  chair  to 
another  and  thus  about  the  room.  Their  heads 
were  no  longer  erect,  but  drooped  like  wilted  flow- 
ers. On  their  faces  was  a blank,  imbecile  expression, 
with  a few  traces  of  foimer  intelligence  still  left. 
The  mouth  was  open,  from  the  drooping  of  the 
lower  jaw,  and  the  saliva  constantly  dribbled  upon 


i 

i 

440  PLAIN  FACTS  FOB  j 

The  Mystery  Solved.  A Hopeless  Case. 

the  clothing.  Altogether,  it  was  a spectacle  which 
one  does  not  care  to  meet  every  day ; the  impres- 
sion made  was  too  harrowing  to  be  pleasant  even 
from  its  interest  from  a scientific  point  of  view. 

We  at  once  set  to  work  to  discover  the  cause  of 
this  dreadful  condition,  saying  to  ourselves  that  such 
an  awful  punishment  should  certainly  be  the  result  j 

of  some  gross  violation  of  nature’s  laws  somewhere. 

The  most  careful  scrutiny  of  the  history  of  the  par-  | 

ents  of  the  unfortunate  lads  gave  us  no  clue  to  ! 

anything  of  an  hereditary  character,  both  parents  i 

having  come  of  good  families,  and  having  been  al-  ! 

ways  of  sober,  temperate  habits.  The  father  had 
used  neither  liquor  nor  tobacco  in  any  form.  The  j 

mother  could  give  no  light  on  the  matter,  and  we  j 

wore  obliged  to  rest  for  the  time  being  upon  the  ' 

conviction  which  fastened  itself  upon  us  that  the 
■ cases  before  us  were  most  marked  illustrations  of 
the  results  of  self -abuse  begun  at  a very  early  age. 

The  mother  thought  it  impossible  that  our  suspi- 
cions could  be  correct,  saying  that  she  had  watched 
her  sons  with  jealous  care  from  earliest  infancy 
and  had  seen  no  indications  of  any  error  of  the  sort. 

But  we  had  not  long  to  wait  for  confirmation  of 
our  view  of  the  case,  as  they  were  soon  caught  in 
the  act,  to  which  it  was  found  that  they  were 
greatly  addicted,  and  the  mystery  was  wholly  solved. 

Every  possible  remedy  was  used  to  check  the  ter- 
rible disease  which  was  preying  upon  the  unfortu- 
nate boys,  but  in  vain.  At  times  the  sjuiiptoms 

1 

OLD  ANL  YOUNG.  441 

Soul  and  Body  Ruined,  A Fearful  Fate. 

■would  be  somewhat  mitigated,  and  the  most  san- 
guine hopes  of  the  fond,  watching  mother  would  be 
excited,  but  in  vain.  The  improvement  always 
proved  to  be  but  temporary,  and  the  poor  sufferers 
would  speedily  relapse  into  the  same  dreadful  con- 
dition again,  and  gradually  grew  worse.  At  last 
the  poor  mother  was  obliged  to  give  up  all  hope,  in 
utter  despair  watching  the  daily  advances  of  the 
a'wful  malady  which  inch  by  inch  destroyed  the 
life,  the  humanity,  the  very  mind  and  soul  of  her 
once  promising  sons.  Sadly  she  took  them  back  to 
her  Western  home,  there  to  see  them  suffer,  perhaps 
for  years  before  death  should  kindly  release  them, 
the  terrible  penalty  of  sin  committed  almost  before 
they  had  arrived  at  years  of  responsibility. 

How  these  mere  infants  learned  the  vice  we  were 
never  able  to  determine.  We  have  no  doubt  that 
opportunities  sufficient  were  presented  them,  as  the 
parents  seemed  to  have  very  little  appreciation  of 
danger  from  this  source.  Had  greater  vigilance 
been  exercised,  we  doubt  not  that  the  discovery  of 
the  vice  at  the  beginning  would  have  resulted  in 
the  salvation  of  these  two  beautiful  boys,  who  were 
sacrificed  upon  the  altar  of  concupiscence.  Two  or 
three  years  after  we  first  saw  the  cases,  we  heard 
from  them,  and  though  still  alive,  their  condition 
was  almost  too  horrible  for  description.  Three  or 
four  similar  cases  have  come  to  our  knowledge. 

Boys,  are  you  guilty  ? Think  of  the  fearful  fate 
of  these  boys,  once  as  joyous  and  healthy  as  you. 

1 


442  PLAIN  FACTS  FOB. 

Words  of  Warning.  A Prodigal  Tonth. 

When  you  are  tempted  to  sin,  think  of  the  fearful 
picture  of  the  effects  of  sin  which  they  present- 
Have  you  ever  once  dared  to  commit  this  awful  sin  ? 
Stop,  never  dare  to  do  the  thing  again.  Take  a 
solemn  vow  before  God  to  be  pure.  Tour  fate  may 
be  as  sad,  your  punishment  as  terrible.  No  one 
can  tell  what  the  results  may  be.  Absolute  purity 
is  the  only  safe  course. 

A Prodigal  Youth. — A.  M.,  son  of  a gentleman 
of  wealth  in  Ohio,  early  acquired  the  evil  practice 
which  has  ruined  so  many  bright  lads.  He  was 
naturally  an  intelligent  and  prepossessing  lad,  and 
his  father  gave  him  as  good  an  education  as  he 
could  be  induced  to  acquire,  affording  him  most  ex- 
cellent opportunities  for  study  and  improvement. 
But  the  vile  habit  which  had  been  acquired  at  an 
early  age  speedily  began  its  blighting  influence.  It 
destroyed  his  taste  for  study  and  culture.  His 
mind  dwelt  upon  low  and  vile  subjects.  He  grew 
restless  of  home  restraint  and  surroundings,  and 
finally  left  the  parental  roof.  Wandering  from  city 
to  city  he  grew  rapidly  worse,  sinking  into  deeper 
depths  of  vice,  until  finally  he  became  a base,  be- 
sotted, wretched  creature.  Broken  down  in  health 
by  his  sins,  he  could  no  longer  enjoy  even  the  worst 
sensual  pleasures,  and  with  no  taste  for  or  capabil- 
ity of  appreciating  anything  higher  he  was  most 
wretched  indeed.  The  poor  fellow  now  fell  into 
the  hands  of  quacks.  His  kind  father  sent  him 
money  in  answer  to  his  pitiful  appeals  for  help,  and 


OLJ}  AND  YOUNG,  443 

In  the  Han^ls  ol'  Quacks.  A Prospect  of  Cure. 

he  went  anxiously  from  one  to  another  of  the 
wretched  villains  who  promise  relief  to  such  suffer- 
ers but  only  rob  them  of  their  money  and  leave 
them  worse  than  before. 

At  last,  in  total  despair  of  everything  else,  the 
poor  fellow  came  to  us.  He  seemed  quite  broken- 
hearted and  penitent  for  his  sins,  and  really  ap- 
peared to  want  to  lead  a better  life  if  he  could  only 
be  made  well  again.  We  faithfully  pointed  out  to 
him  the  dreadful  wickedness  of  his  course,  and  the 
fact  that  a cure  could  only  be  effected  by  the  most 
implicit  obedience  to  all  of  nature’s  laws  during 
his  whole  future  life.  Indeed,  we  were  obliged  to 
inform  him  of  the  sad  fact  that  he  could  never  be 
as  well  as  before,  that  he  must  always  suffer  in  con- 
sequence of  his  dreadful  course  of  transgression. 
We  gave  him  a most  earnest  exhortation  to  begin 
the  work  of  reform  where  alone  it  could  be  effect- 
ual, by  reforming  his  heart,  and  the  tears  which 
coursed  down  his  sin-scarred  cheeks  seemed  to  in- 
dicate true  penitence  and  a real  desire  to  return  to 
the  paths  of  purity  and  peace. 

Earnestly  we  labored  for  this  young  man,  for 
months,  employing  every  means  in  our  power  to 
lift  him  from  the  slough  of  sin  and  vice  upon  the 
solid  pathway  of  virtue  and  purity  again.  Gradu- 
ally the  hard  lines  on  his  face  seemed  to  lessen  in 
intensity.  The  traces  of  vice  and  crime  seemed  to 
be  fading  out  by  degrees.  We  began  to  entertain 
hopes  of  his  ultimate  recovery.  -But  alas ! in  an 


444  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Led  Astray.  All  Hope  Gone. 

evil  moment,  through  the  influence  of  bad  compan- 
ions, he  fell,  and  for  some  time  xe  lost  sight  of 
him.  A long  time  afterward  we  caught  a glimp.«;e 
of  his  bloated,  sin-stained  face,  just  as  he  was  turn- 
ing to  skulk  away  to  avoid  recognition.  Where 
this  poor  human  wreck  is  now  leading  his  miser- 
able existence  we  cannot  say,  but  have  no  doubt 
he  is  haunting  the  dens  of  iniquity  and  sin  in  the 
cities,  seeking  to  find  a little  momentary  pleasure 
in  the  gratification  of  his  appetites  and  passions. 
A hopeless  wreck,  with  the  lines  of  vice  and  crime 
drawn  all  over  his  tell-tale  countenance,  he  dares 
not  go  home,  for  he  fears  to  meet  the  reproachful 
glance  of  his  doting  mother,  and  the  scornful  looks 
of  his  brothers  and  sisters.  We  never  saw  a more 
thoroughly  unhappy  creature.  He  is  fully  con- 
scious of  his  condition ; he  sees  himself  to  be  a 
wreck,  in  mind,  in  body,  and  knows  that  he  is 
doomed  to  suffer  still  more  in  consequence  of  his 
vices.  He  has  no  hope  for  this  world  or  the  next. 
His  mother  gave  him  earnest,  pious  instructions, 
which  he  has  never  forgotten,  though  he  has  long 
tried  to  smother  them.  He  now  looks  forward 
with  terror  to  the  fate  which  he  well  knows  awaits 
all  evil-doers,  and  shudders  at  the  thought,  but  seems 
powerless  to  enter  the  only  avenue  which  affords  a 
chance  of  escape.  He  is  so  tormented  with  the 
pains  and  diseased  conditions  which  he  has  brought 
upon  himself  by  vice  that  he  often  looks  to  self- 
destruction  as  a grateful  means  of  escape  ; but  then 


OLD  AKD  YOUNG.  445 

Peril  of  the  First  Step.  Barely  Escaped. 

comes  the  awful  foreboding  of  future  punishment, 
and  his  hand  is  stayed.  Ashamed  to  meet  his 
friends,  afraid  to  meet  his  Maker,  he  wanders  about, 
an  exile,  an  outcast,  a hopeless  wreck. 

Young  man,  youth,  have  you  taken  the  first  step 
on  this  evil  road  ? If  so,  take  warning  by  the  fate 
of  this  young  man.  At  once  “ cease  to  do  evil  and 
learn  to  do  well,”  before,  like  him,  you  lose  the 
power  to  do  right,  before  your  will  is  paralyzed 
by  sin  so  that  when  you  desire  to  do  right,  to  re- 
form, your  will  and  power  to  execute  your  good 
determinations  will  fail  to  support  your  effort. 

Barely  Escaped. — L.  R.,  of  H , a young  man 

of  about  twenty- five  years  of  age,  presented  himself 
for  treatment,  a few  years  ago,  for  the  consequence 
of  self-abuse.  Having  been  taught  the  habit  by 
evil  companions  when  just  emerging  into  manhood, 
he  had  indulged  his  passions  without  restraint  for 
several  years,  not  knowing  the  evil  consequences 
until  he  began  to  suffer  the  effects  of  sin.  Then, 
being  warned  by  his  own  experience  and  by  the 
fortunate  thoughtfulness  of  an  intelligent  friend 
who  surmised  his  condition  and  told  him  faithfully 
of  the  terrible  results  of  the  vile  habit,  he  made  a 
manly  effort  to  reform  and  claimed  to  have  wholly 
broken  the  habit.  To  his  great  grief  he  found, 
however,  that  the  years  in  which  he  had  devoted 
himself  to  sin  had  wrought  sad  havoc  in  his  system. 
In  many  ways  his  health  was  greatly  deranged,  and 
his  once  powerful  constitution  was  broken  down. 


! 


446  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

The  Work  of  Sin.  A Xarrow  Escape. 

The  sexual  organs  themselves  were  gi’eatly  diseased, 
so  much  so  that  a serious  and  painful  surgical  oper- 
ation was  necessary.  With  shame  and  mortifica- 
tion he  looked  upon  his  past  life  and  saw  what  a 
hideous  work  of  evil  he  had  wrought.  His  %file- 
ness  stood  out  before  him  in  a vivid  light,  and  he 
felt  ashamed  to  meet  the  gaze  of  his  fellows. 

After  performing  the  necessary  surgical  opera- 
tion upon  this  poor  unfortunate,  we  dealt  faithfully 
Avith  him,  pointing  out  to  him  the  way  by  which 
he  might  with  proper  effort  in  some  degree  redeem 
himself  by  a life-long  struggle  against  every  form 
of  impurity.  He  felt,  and  rightly,  that  the  task 
Avas  a most  severe  one.  He  well  knew  that  the 
stamp  of  sin  was  on  his  countenance,  and  in  his 
mind.  Thoughts  long  allowed  to  run  upon  vile 
subjects,  forming  filthy  pictures  in  the  imagination, 
are  not  easily  brought  back  to  the  channel  of  purity 
and  virtue.  The  mind  that  has  learned  to  love  to 
riot  in  impure  di’eams,  does  not  readily  acquire  a 
love  for  the  opposite.  But  he  determined  to  make 
a brave  and  earnest  effort,  and  we  have  every  reason 
to  believe  that  he  has,  in  a measure  at  least,  suc- 
ceeded. But,  if  so,  he  has  made  a narrow  escape. 
A few  more  years  of  sin,  and  his  rescue  would  have 
been  impossible ; both  mind  and  body  would  haA-e 
been  sunk  so  deep  in  the  mire  of  concupiscence  that 
none  but  Almighty  poAver  could  haA^e  saved  him 
from  utter  destruction.  Thousands  of  boys  and 
young  men  are  to-day  standing  on  the  slippery 


OLD  AND  YOUNO. 


4-:-7 

The  Awful  Precipice.  A Lost  Soul. 

brink  of  that  awful  precipice  from  which  but  very 
few  are  snatched  away.  Soon  they  will  plunge 
headlong  over  into  the  abyss  of  debasement  and 
corruption  from  whence  they  will  never  escape. 
Oh  that  we  had  the  power  to  reach  each  one  of 
these  unfortunate  youth  before  it  is  too  late,  and  to 
utter  in  their  ears  such  warnings,  to  portray  before 
them  such  pictures  of  the  sure  results  of  a course 
of  sin,  that  they  might  be  turned  back  to  the  paths 
of  chastity  and  virtue  before  they  have  become 
such  mental,  moral,  and  physical  wi’ecks  as  we 
every  day  encounter  in  the  walks  of  life.  But  not 
one  in  a thousand  can  be  reached  when  they  have 
gone  so  far  in  sin.  When  they  have  ventured  once, 
they  can  rarely  be  checked  in  their  downward  course 
until  great  harm  has  been  wrought  which  it  will  re- 
quire the  work  of  years  to  undo.  Tlie  young  man 
we  have  referred  to  made  indeed  a naiTow  escape, 
but  no  one  can  safely  run  such  a risk.  Even  he 
must  suffer  all  his  life  the  consequences  of  a few 
years  of  sin. 

A Lost  Soul. — M.  M.,  of , was  the  son  ot  a 

mechanic  in  humble  circumstances.  He  was  an 
only  child,  and  his  parents  spared  no  pains  to  do 
all  in  their  power  to  insure  his  becoming  a good 
and  useful  man.  Good  school  advantages  were 
given  him,  and  at  a proper  age^he  was  put  to  learn 
a trade.  He  succeeded  fairly,  and  their  hopes  of 
his  becoming  all  that  they  could  desire  were  great, 
when  he  suddenly  began  to  manifest  peculiar  symp- 


448  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Religion  Not  to  Blame.  Parents  Increriulons. 

toms.  He  had  attended  a religious  revival  and 
seemed  much  affected,  professing  religion  and  be- 
coming a member  of  a church.  To  the  exercises  of 
his  mind  on  the  subject  of  religion  his  friends  at- 
tributed his  peculiar  actions,  which  soon  became  so 
strange  as  to  excite  grave  fears  that  his  mind  was 
seriously  affected.  At  times  he  was  wild,  showing 
such  unmistakable  evidences  of  insanity  that  even 
his  poor  mother,  who  was  loth  to  believe  the  sad 
truth,  was  forced  to  admit  that  he  was  deranged. 

After  a few  months  a change  came  over  him 
wliich  encouraged  his  friends  to  think  that  he  was 
recovering.  He  became  quiet  and  tractable,  never 
manifesting  the  furious  symptoms  before  observed. 
But  the  deception  was  only  temporary,  for  it  was 
soon  evident  that  the  change  was  simply  the  result 
of  the  progress  of  the  disease  and  denoted  the  fail- 
ure of  the  mental  powers  and  the  approach  of  im- 
becility. In  this  condition  was  the  young  man 
when  he  came  under  our  care.  We  felt  stronglj^ 
impressed  from  our  first  examination  of  the  case, 
that  it  was  one  of  sexual  abuse ; but  we  were  as- 
sured by  his  friends  in  the  most  emphatic  manner 
that  such  was  an  impossibility.  It  was  claimed 
that  the  most  scrupulous  care  had  been  bestowed 
upon  him,  and  that  he  had  been  so  closely  watched 
that  it  was  impossible  that  he  should  have  been 
guilty  of  so  gross  a vice.  His  friends  were  disposed 
to  attribute  his  sad  condition  to  excessive  exercise 
of  mind  upon  religious  subjects. 


OLD  AND  TOUNO. 


449 


The  Cause  Discovered. 


A Self-Made  Idiot. 


Not  satisfied  with  this  view  of  the  case,  we  set  a 
close  watch  upon  him,  and  within  a week  his  nurse 
reported  that  he  had  detected  him  -in  the  act  of 
self-pollution,  when  he  confessed  the  truth,  not  yet 
being  so  utterly  devoid  of  sense  as  to  have  lost  his 
appreciation  of  the  sinfulness  of  the  act.  When 
discovered,  he  exclaimed,  “ I know  I have  made  my- 
self a fool,”  which  was  the  exact  truth.  At  this 
time  the  once  bright  and  intelligent  youth  had  be- 
come so  obtuse  and  stupid  that  he  appeared  almost 
senseless.  His  face  wore  an  idiotic  expression 
which  was  rarely  lighted  up  by  a look  of  intelli- 
gence. It  was  only  by  the  greatest  exertion  that 
he  could  be  made  to  understand  or  to  respond  when 
spoken  to.  In  whatever  position  he  was  placed, 
whether  lying,  sitting,  or  standing,  no  matter  how 
constrained  or  painful,  he  would  remain  for  hours, 
staring  vacantly,  and  fixed  and  immovable  as  a 
statue.  His  countenance  was  blank  and  expres- 
sionless except  at  rare  intervals.  His  lips  were  al- 
ways parted,  and  the  saliva  ran  from  the  corners  of 
his  mouth  down  upon  his  clothing.  The  calls  of 
nature  were  responded  to  involuntarily,  soiling  con- 
stantly his  clothing  and  bedding  in  a most  disgust- 
ing manner,  and  requiring  the  constant  attention  of 
a nurse  to  keep  him  in  an^^tliing  like  a wholesome 
condition. 

We  did  what  we  could  to  relieve  this  poor  victim 
of  unhallowed  lust,  but  soon  became  convinced  that 
no  human  arm  could  save  from  utter  ruin  this  self- 
29 


450  FLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Sinking  Still  Lower.  The  Besnlte  of  One  Transgression. 

destroyed  soul.  At  our  suggestion  the  young  man 
was  removed  to  be  placed  in  an  institution  devoted 
to  the  care  of  imbeciles  and  lunatics.  The  last  we 
heard  of  the  poor  fellow  he  was  still  sinking  into 
lower  depths  of  physical  and  mental  degradation, — 
a soul  utterly  lost  and  ruined.  How  many  thous- 
ands of  young  men  who  might  have  been  useful 
members  of  society,  lawyers,  clergymen,  statesmen, 
scientists,  have  thus  sunk  into  the  foul  depths  of 
the  quagmire  of  vice,  to  rise  no  more  forever ! Oh, 
awful  fate ! The  human  eye  never  rests  upon  a 
sadder  sight  than  a ruined  soul,  a mind  shattered 
and  debased  by  vice. 

The  Results  of  One  Transgression. — The  fol- 
lowing case  is  a good  illustration  of  the  fact  that  a 
long  eoiuse  of  transgression  is  not  necessary  to  oc- 
casion the  most  serious  results.  A young  man  from 
an  Eastern  State  who  visited  us  for  treatment  was 
suffering  with  the  usual  consequences  of  self -abuse, 
but  he  asserted  in  the  most  emphatic  manner  that 
he  had  never  committed  the  act  of  self -pollution  but 
once  in  his  life.  He  had,  however,  after  that  one 
vile  act,  allowed  his  mind  to  rim  upon  vile  thoughts, 
o-ivinor  loose  rein  to  his  imagination,  and  in  conse- 
quence  he  found  himself  as  badly-oft'  suffering  with 
the  very  same  disorders,  as  those  who  had  practiced 
the  vice  for  some  time. 

Hot  the  slightest  dallying  with  sin  is  safe.  The 
maintenance  of  perfect  purity  and  chastity  of  bodj'^ 
and  mind  is  the  only  right  and  safe  course.  By  a 


OLD  AND  rOUNO. 


451 


A Hospital  Case.  An  Old  Offender. 

few  months’  treatment  the  young  man  recovered 
his  health  in  a great  measure,  and,  marrying  an  es- 
timable young  lady,  settled  down  happily  in  life. 
Many  tears  of  remorse  and  repentance  did  he  shed 
over  that  one  sinful  act,  and  bitterly  did  he  reproach 
the  evil  companion  who  taught  him  to  sin ; but  he 
was  fortunate  enough  to  escape  without  suffering 
the  worst  effects  of  sin,  and  is  now  living  happily. 

A Hospital  Case. — One  of  the  most  wretched 
creatures  we  ever  saw  among  the  many  sufferers 
from  sexual  excesses  whom  we  have  met,  was  a man 
of  about  thirty  years  of  age  whom  we  found  in  the 
large  Charity  Hospital  on  Blackwell’s  Island,  New 
York  City.  In  consequence  of  long  indulgence  in 
the  soul-and-body  destroying  habit,  he  had  brought 
upon  himself  not  only  the  most  serious  and  painful 
disease  of  the  sexual  organs  themselves,  but  disease 
of  the  bladder  and  other  adjacent  organs.  He  was 
under  severe  and  painful  treatment  for  a long  time 
without  benefit,  and  finally  a surgical  operation  was 
performed,  but  with  the  result  of  aflbrdiug  only 
partial  relief. 

An  Old  Offender. — Never  were  we  more  aston- 
ished than  at  the  depth  of  depravity  revealed  to  us 
by  the  confessions  of  a patient  from  a distant  coun- 
try who  was  upwards  of  sixty  years  of  age  and  was 
yet  a victim  of  the  vile  habit  to  which  he  had  be- 
come addicted  when  a youth.  The  stamp  of  vice 
was  on  his  face,  and  was  not  hidden  by  the  lines 
made  by  advancing  age.  The  sufferings  which  this 


452  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Blunted  Sensibilities.  Sad  End  of  a Young  Victim. 

ancient  sinner  endured  daily  in  consequence  of  his 
long  course  of  sin  were  sometimes  fearful  to  behold ; 
and  yet  he  continued  the  habit  in  spite  of  all  warn- 
ings, advice,  and  every  influence  which  could  be 
brought  to  bear  upon  him.  So  long  had  he  trans- 
gressed, he  had  lost  his  sense  of  shame  and  his  ap- 
preciation of  the  vileness  of  sin,  and  it  was  im- 
possible to  reform  him  b}^  any  means  which  could 
be  brought  to  bear  upon  him.  He  left  us  still  a 
sufierer,  though  somewhat  relieved,  and,  we  have 
every  reason  to  believe,  as  vile  a sinner  as  ever. 
Undoubtedly,  before  this  time  his  worthless  life  is 
ended,  and  he  has  gone  down  into  a sinner’s  grave, 
hoary  with  vice.  A terrible  end. 

The  Sad  End  of  a Young  Yictiui.— C.  L.,  a young 
' man  residing  in  a large  Southern  city,  was  the 
youngest  son  of  parents  who  were  in  moderate  cir- 
cumstances, but  appreciated  the  value  of  education, 
and  were  anxious  to  give  their  children  every  ad- 
vantage possible  for  them  to  receive.  With  this 
end  in  view,  the  young  man  was  sent  to  college, 
where  he  did  well  for  a time,  being  naturally  stu- 
dious and  intelligent ; but  after  a brief  period  he 
began  to  drop  behind  his  classes.  He  seemed  moody 
and  obtuse.  He  could  not  complete  his  tasks  even 
by  the  most  severe  application.  It  seemed  impos- 
sible for  him  to  apply  himself.  The  power  of  con- 
centration appeared  to  be  lost.  Soon  he  was  seized 
by  fits  of  gloominess  from  which  he  did  not  seem 
to  have  power  to  free  himself.  His  strength  began 


OLD  A ]SfD  YO  nx G . 4 5 3 

Mysterious  Mental  Decline.  A Tragic  Fate. 

to  fail  to  such  a degree  that  he  could  hardly  drag 
himself  to  his  meals,  and  at  last  he  Avas  almost  con- 
fined to  his  room.  He  became  greatly  emaciated. 
The  failure  of  his  mental  poAvers  seemed  to  keep 
pace  Avith  the  Avasting  of  his  body,  so  that  it  Avas 
soon  evident  that  he  must  abandon  all  hope  of  pur- 
suing his  studies  for  some  time  at  least.  His  case 
being  brought  to  our  notice,  Ave  gave  him  eveiy 
attention  possible,  and  spared  no  efibrt  to  rescue 
him  from  his  condition.  We  readily  perceiAmd  the 
cause  of  his  troubles,  but  for  a long  time  he  did  not 
acknowledge  the  truth.  At  last  he  confessed  that 
he  had  sinned  for  years  in  the  manner  suspected, 
and  was  suffering  the  consequences.  A knowledge 
of  his  guilt  weighed  upon  him  and  haunted  him 
day  and  night.  He  promised  to  reform  ; but  if  he 
did,  it  was  too  late,  for  the  wasting  disease  which 
was  fastened  upon  him  continued.  At  his  mother’s 
request  he  returned  to  his  home,  and  a few  weeks 
later  we  received  the  awful  intelligence  that  he  had 
ended  his  miserable  life  by  bloAving  out  his  brains 
with  a pistol.  Thus  tragically  ended  the  career  of 
this  young  man,  who  might,  with  the  adA^antages 
afforded  him,  have  become  a useful  member  of  so- 
ciety. In  total  despair  of  this  life  or  the  next,  he 
rashly  ended  his  probation,  and  with  his  OAvn  hand 
finished  the  work  of  destruction  which  he  had  him- 
self begun.  No  words  can  tell  the  grief  of  his 
stricken  mother ; but,  fortunately,  she  was  spared 
the  knoAvledge  of  the  Avhole  truth,  else  Avould  her 
sorrow  have  been  too  great  to  bear. 


454  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

From  Bad  to  Worse.  At  Death’s  Door. 

From  Bad  to  Worse. — C.  E.,  a young  man  from 
the  West,  was  sent  to  us  by  his  father  with  the  re- 
quest that  we  would  do  what  we  could  to  save  him. 
His  father’s  letter  intimated  that  the  son  had  been 
a source  of  grief  to  him,  but  he  hoped  that  he  had 
repented  of  his  prodigal  course,  and  was  really  de- 
termined to  reform.  Though  scarcely  more  than 
twenty  years  of  age,  the  young  man’s  face  wore  an 
aspect  of  hardness,  from  familiarity  with  vice,  that 
we  have  rarely  seen.  He  was  reduced  to  a mere 
skeleton  by  the  vice  which  he  made  no  secret  of, 
and  was  so  weak  that  he  could  scarcely  walk  a rod. 
It  seemed  as  if  every  organ  in  his  body  was  dis- 
eased, and  that  he  had  so  squandered  his  vital  re- 
sources that  he  had  no  power  to  rally  from  his 
Avretched  condition  even  should  he  carry  out  the 
determination  to  reform  which  he  announced. 
However,  we  gave  him  the  best  counsel  and  advice 
within  our  poAver,  and  placed  him  under  treatment. 
After  a few  weeks  it  was  evident  that  nature  was 
still  willing  to  respond  to  his  endeavors  to  reform, 
by  vigorous  efforts  to  restore  him  to  a condition  of 
comparative  health.  Thus  he  was  snatched,  as  it 
appeared,  from  the  veiy  jaws  of  death.  Under 
these  circumstances  it  would  seem  that  the  most 
hardened  criminal  would  reform,  at  least  for  a sea- 
son, and  lead  a life  of  rectitude ; but  so  utterly  de- 
praved was  this  poor  Avretch  that  no  sooner  did  he 
find  that  he  was  not  liable  to  die  immediately  than 
he  began  at  once  again  his  career  of  sin.  By  long 
indulgence  his  moral  sense  had  become,  apparently. 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


455 


A Felon’s  Fate. 


An  lotliRnant  Father. 


obliterated.  He  seemed  to  be  utterly  without  the 
restraint  imposed  by  conscience.  In  less  than  a 
month  he  was  detected  in  the  crime  of  theft,  hav- 
ing stolen  a watch  from  a fellow-patient.  Upon 
his  arrest,  stimulated  by  the  hope  of  in  some  degree 
mitigating  his  punishment,  he  confessed  to  have 
been  carrying  on  a series  of  petty  thie'vdng  for 
weeks  before  he  Avas  finally  detected,  having  scores 
of  stolen  articles  in  his  possession.  The  last  time 
we  saw  the  wretched  fellow  he  was  being  led  away 
in  irons  to  prison.  We  have  since  heard  that  he 
continues  in  bis  downward  career,  having  served 
out  his  time  in  prison,  and  will  undoubtedly  end 
his  life  in  a felon’s  cell  unless  he  is  shrewd  enough 
to  escape  his  just  deserts.  Having  lost  all  desire  to 
do  right,  to  be  noble,  pure,  and  good,  all  efforts  to 
l eform  and  restore  him  to  the  path  of  rectitude  were 
fruitless.  It  was  only  the  fear  of  impending  death 
that  caused  him  to  pause  for  a few  days  in  his  crim- 
inal course.  Young  man,  take  warning  by  this  sad 
case  ; enter  not  the  pathway  of  vice.  A course  of 
vice  once  entered  upon  is  not  easily  left.  A youth 
who  once  gives  himself  up  to  sin,  rarely  escapes 
from  going  headlong  to  destruction. 

Am  ludignant  Father. — A case  came  to  our 
knowledge  through  a gentleman  who  brought  his 
daughter  to  us  for  treatment  for  the  effects  of  self- 
abuse, of  a father  who  adopted  a summary  method 
of  curing  his  son  of  the  evil  practice.  HaAung  dis- 
covered that  the  lad  was  a victim  of  the  vile  habit, 


I 


456 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 


A Severe  Remedy.  Disgusted  with  Life. 

and  having  done  all  in  his  power  by  punishment, 
threats,  and  representations  of  its  terrible  efiects, 
but  without  inducing  him  to  reform,  the  father,  in 
a fit  of  desperation,  seized  the  sinful  boy  and  with 
his  own  hand  performed  upon  him  the  operation  of 
castration  as  he  would  have  done  upon  a colt.  The 
boy  recovered  from  the  operation,  and  was  of  course 
effectually  cured  of  his  vile  habit.  The  remedy 
was  efficient,  though  scarcely  justifiable.  Even  a 
father  has  no  right  thus  to  mutilate  his  own  son, 
though  we  must  confess  that  the  lad’s  chances  for 
becoming  a useful  man  are  fully  as  good  as  they 
Avould  have  been  had  he  continued  his  course  of 
sin. 

Disgusted  with  Life. — T.  A.  was  a young  man  of 
promise,  the  son  of  ambitious  parents,  proud-spirited, 
and  without  respect  for  religion.  While  still  quite 
young  he  enlisted  in  the  service  of  the  government, 
and  after  a time  rose  to  the  position  of  an  officer  in 
the  U.  S.  army.  Having  in  boyhood  acquired  the 
habit  of  self-abuse,  he  had  stimulated  his  passions 
without  restraint,  and  was  readily  led  still  farther 
astray  by  the  evil  companions  with  whom  he  was 
surrounded.  He  indulged  his  passions  in  every 
way  and  on  every  occasion  when  he  found  oppor- 
tunity, and  speedily  began  to  feel  the  eflfects  of  his 
^■ices.  Before  he  was  fully  aware  of  his  condition, 
he  found  himself  being  literally  devoured  by  the 
vilest  of  all  diseases,  which  only  those  Avho  trans- 
gress in  this  manner  suffei'.  The  disease  made  rapid 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


457 


Death  the  Only  Escape.  A Wretched  Life. 

advances  and  speedily  reduced  him  to  a condition 
of  almost  absolute  helplessness.  He  was  obliged  to 
obtain  a furlough;  but  his  vital  forces  were  so 
nearly  exhausted  that  he  did  not  rally  even  under 
skillful  treatment ; and  when  his  furlough  expired, 
he  was  still  in  the  same  pitiable  condition.  Get- 
ting it  extended  for  a time,  he  by  accident  came 
under  our  care,  and  by  the  aid  of  very  thorough 
treatment  he  was  in  a measure  improved,  though 
the  progress  of  the  disease  was  simply  stayed. 
When  apprized  of  his  real  condition,  he  exhibited, 
much  agitation,  walking  nervously  about  his  room, 
and  finally  exclaimed  that  he  was  utterly  di,sgusted 
with  life  anyway,  and  after  a few  weeks  or  months 
more  of  sufiering  he  should  blow  his  brains  out  and 
end  his  misery.  He  had  no  fears  of  death,  he  said, 
and  we  presume  that  he  could  not  imagine  it  possi- 
ble that  there  was  any  greater  suffering  in  store  for 
him  than  he  already  endured.  We  pitied  the  poor 
follow  from  the  bottom  of  our  heart.  He  had  nat- 
ural qualities  which  ought  to  have  made  him  dis- 
tinguished. He  might  have  risen  high  in  the  world 
of  usefulness.  Now  he  was  compelled  to  look  back 
upon  a short  life  of  squandered  opportunities,  a 
pathway  stained  with  vice,  memories  of  vile  de- 
baucheries which  had  wasted  his  youth  and  broken 
his  constitution.  Wretched  was  he  indeed.  Not- 
withstanding his  vileness  he  was  not  lost  to  shame, 
for  his  greatest  fear  was  that  his  friends  might  as- 
certain the  real  cause  of  his  sufferings,  to  conceal 


458  PLAIN  FACTS  FOP 

Avenues  to  Sin.  Bad  Company. 

which  he  was  obliged  to  resort  to  all  sorts  of  subter- 
fuges. As  soon  as  he  was  able  to  travel  he  left  us, 
being  obliged  to  report  to  his  superior  officers,  and 
we  have  heard  nothing  of  him  since. 

Scores  of  similar  cases  we  might  recount  in  detail, 
but  we  have  not  here  the  space.  These  will  suffice 
to  give  to  the  young  reader  an  idea  of  the  terrible 
results  of  this  awful  vice  which  are  suffered  by  its 
victims.  We  have  not  dared  to  portray  on  these 
pages  one-half  the  misery  and  wretchedness  which 
we  have  seen  as  the  results  of  self-abuse  and  the 
vices  to  which  it  leads.  The  picture  is  too  terrible 
for  young  eyes  to  behold.  We  most  sincerely  hope 
that  none  of  our  readers  will  ever  have  to  suffer  as 
we  have  seen  boys  and  young  men  do,  languishing  in 
misery  as  the  result  of  their  own  transgressions  of 
the  laws  of  chastity.  We  will  now  devote  the  re- 
maining pages  of  this  chapter  to  the  consideration 
of  some  of  the  causes  of  the  vice,  the  avenues  that 
lead  to  the  awful  sin  which  we  are  considering,  and 
the  terrible  consequences  which  attend  it. 

Bad  Company. — The  influence  of  evil  compan- 
ionship is  one  of  the  most  powerful  agents  for  evil 
against  which  those  who  love  purity  and  are  seek- 
ino"  to  elevate  and  benefit  their  fellow-men  have  to 
contend.  A bad  boy  can  do  more  harm  in  a com- 
munity than  can  be  counteracted  by  all  the  clergy- 
men, Sabbath-school  teachers,  tract-distributers,  and 
other  Christian  workers  combined.  An  evil  boy  is 
a pest  compared  with  which  the  cholera,  small-pox, 


OLD  AXD  YOUNO. 


459 


Moral  Lepers.  Vice  Contagious. 

and  even  the  plague,  are  nothing.  The  damage 
Avhich  would  be  done  by  a terrific  hurricane  sweep- 
ing with  destructive  force  through  a thickly  settled 
district  is  insignificant  compared  with  the  evil  work 
which  may  be  accomplished  by  one  vicious  lad. 

No  community  is  free  from  these  vipers,  these 
agents  of  the  arch-fiend.  Every  school,  no  matter 
how  select  it  may  be,  contains  a greater  or  less  num- 
iier  of  these  young  moral  lepers.  Often  they  pur- 
sue their  work  unsuspected  by  the  good  and  pure, 
who  do  not  dream  of  the  vileness  pent  up  in 
the  young  brains  which  have  not  yet  learned  the 
multiplication  table  and  scarcely  learned  to  read. 
We  have  known  instances  in  which  a boy  of  seven 
or  eight  years  of  age  has  implanted  the  venom  of 
vice  in  the  hearts  and  minds  of  half  a score  of  pure- 
minded  lads  within  a few  days  of  his  first  associa- 
tion with  them.  This  vice  spreads  like  wild-fire. 
It  is  more  “catching”  than  the  most  contagious 
disease,  and  more  tenacious,  when  once  implanted, 
than  the  leprosy. 

Boys  are  easily  infiuenced  either  for  right  or  for 
wrong,  but  especially  for  the  wrong;  hence  it  is 
the  duty  of  parents  to  select  good  companions  for 
their  children,  and  it  is  the  duty  of  children  to 
avoid  bad  company  as  they  would  avoid  carrion  or 
the  most  loathsome  object.  A boy  with  a match 
box  in  a poAvder  magazine  would  be  in  no  greater 
danger  than  in  the  company  of  most  of  the  lads 
who  attend  our  public  schools  and  play  upon  the 


4G0  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Early  Indulgence  in  Vice.  Evil  ABsociatce. 

sti’eets.  It  is  astonishing  how  early  children,  espe- 
cially hoys,  will  sometimes  learn  the  hideous,  shame- 
less tricks  of  vice  which  yearly  lead  thousands  down 
to  everlasting  death.  Often  children  begin  their 
course  of  sin  while  yet  cradled  in  their  mother’s 
arms,  thus  early  taught  hy  some  vile  nurse.  Bo3's 
that  fight  and  swear,  that  play  upon  the  streets  and 
disobey  their  parents,  may  he  wisely  shunned  as  unfit 
for  associates.  In  many  instances,  too,  hoys  whose 
conduct  is  in  other  respects  wholly  faultless  some- 
times indulge  in  -Nuce,  ignorant  of  its  real  nature 
• and  consequences.  At  the  first  intimation  of  evil 
on  the  part  of  a companion,  a bo}"  who  is  yet  pure 
should  flee  away  as  from  a deadly  serpent  or  a vo- 
racious beast.  Do  not  let  the  desire  to  gratify  a 
craving  curiosity  deter  you  from  fleeing  at  once 
from  the  source  of  contamination.  Under  such  cir- 
cumstances do  not  hesitate  a moment  to  escape  from 
danger.  If  an  evil  word  is  spoken  or  an  indecent 
act  of  any  sort  indulged  in  by  a companion,  cut  the 
acquaintance  of  such  a boy  at  once.  Never  allow 
yourself  to  be  alone  with  him  a moment.  On  no 
account  be  induced  to  associate  with  him.  He  will 
as  surely  soil  and  besmear  with  sin  your  moral 
garments  as  would  contact  with  the  most  filthy  ob- 
ject imaginable  your  outer  garments. 

It  were  better  for  a boy  never  to  see  or  associate 
with  a lad  of  his  own  age  than  to  run  any  risk  of 
being  corrupted  before  he  is  old  enough  to  appre- 
ciate the  terrible  enormity  of  sin  and  the  awful  con- 


OLD  A2^D  YOUNG.  461 

Bad  Language.  Persons  be  Avoided. 

sequences  of  transgression.  It  should  be  recollected 
also  that  not  only  young  boys  but  vicious  youths 
and  young  men  are  frequently  the  instructors  in 
vice.  It  is  unsafe  to  trust  any  but  those  who  are 
known  to  be  pure. 

Bad  Language. — We  have  often  been  astonished 
at  the  facility  with  which  children  acquire  the  lan- 
guage of  vice.  Often  we  have  been  astounded  to 
hear  little  boys  scarcely  out  of  their  cradles,  lisping 
the  most  horrible  oaths  and  the  vilest  epithets. 
The  streets  and  alleys  in  our  large  cities,  and  in 
smaller  ones  too  in  a less  degree,  are  nurseries 
of  vice,  in  which  are  reared  the  criminals  that  fill 
our  jails,  prisons,  work-houses,  school-ships,  and 
houses  of  correction.  Many  a lad  begins  his  crim- 
inal education  by  learning  the  language  of  vice  and 
sin.  At  first  he  simply  imitates  the  evil  utterances 
of  others ; but  soon  he  learns  the  full  significance 
of  the  obscene  and  filthy  language  which  he  hears 
and  repeats,  and  then  he  rapidly  progresses  in  the 
downward  road. 

A boy  that  indulges  in  the  use  of  foul  language 
will  not  long  be  chaste  in  acts.  It  is  a safe  rule  to 
be  followed  by  those  who  wish  to  grow  up  pure  and 
unsullied  by  sin,  untainted  by  vice,  that  those  who 
use  bad  language  are  persons  to  avoid,  to  keep 
away  from.  Even  those  who  are  well  fortified 
against  vice,  who  have  been  faithfully  warned  of 
its  consequences  and  fully  appreciate  its  dangers, 
cannot  be  safely  trusted  to  associate  with  vile  talk- 


I 

462  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

An  Evil  Often  Ignored.  Bad  Books. 

ers.  The  use  of  bad  language  by  old  and  young  is 
an  evil  which  is  of  the  very  greatest  moment.  It 
is  too  often  ignored ; too  little  is  said  about  it ; far 
too  often  it  is  disregarded  as  of  little  consequence, 
and  persons  who  are  really  not  bad  at  heart  thought- 
lessly encourage  the  evil  by  listening  to  and  laugh- 
ing at  obscene  and  ribald  jokes,  and  impure  lan- 
guage which  ought  to  make  a virtuous  man  blush 
with  shame  to,  hear. 

Boys,  if  you  want  to  be  pure,  if  you  wish  to  be 
loved  by  a pure  mother,  an  innocent  sister,  and  when 
you  are  grown  to  manhood  to  be  worthy  of  the  con- 
fidence of  a pure,  virtuous  wife,  keep  your  lips  pure  ; 
never  let  a vile  word  or  an  indecent  allusion  pass 
them.  Never,  under  any  circumstances,  give  utter- 
ance to  language  that  you  would  blush  to  have  your 
mother  overhear.  If  you  find  yourself  in  the  com- 
pany of  persons  whose  language  will  not  bear  this 
test,  escape  as  soon  as  possible,  for  jmu  are  in  dan- 
ger; your  sense  of  what  is  right  and  proper  in 
speech  is  being  vitiated;  you  are  being  damaged 
in  a variety  of  ways. 

Bad  Books.— A bad  book  is  as  bad  as  an  evil 
companion.  In  some  respects  it  is  even  worse  than 
a living  teacher  of  vice,  since  it  may  cling  to  an  in- 
dividual at  all  times.  It  may  follow  him  to  the 
secrecy  of  his  bed-chamber,  and  there  poison  his 
mind  with  the  venom  of  e\dl.  The  influence  of 
bad  books  in  making  bad  boys  and  men  is  little 
appreciated.  Fcav  are  aware  how  much  evil  seed 

OLD  AND  YOUNG.  463 

•‘Dime  Norels.**  Sensational  Story  Books. 

is  being  sown  among  the  young  everywhere  through 
the  medium  of  vile  hooks.  It  is  not  only  the 
wretched  volumes  of  obscenity  of  which  so  many 
thousands  have  been  seized  and  destroyed  by  Mr. 
Comstock  which  are  included  under  the  head  of 
bad  books,  and  which  corrupt  the  morals  of  the 
young  and  lead  them  to  enter  the  road  to  infamy, 
but  the  evil  literature  which  is  sold  in  “ dime  and 
nickel  novels,”  and  which  constitutes  the  principal 
part  of  the  contents  of  such  papers  as  the  Police 
Gazette,  the  Police  News,  and  a large  propor- 
tion of  the  sensational  story  books  which  flood  the 
land,  and  too  many  of  which  find  their  way  into 
town  and  circulating  libraries  and  even  Sunday- 
school  libraries,  which  are  rarely  selected  with  the 
care  that  ought  to  be  exercised  in  the  selection 
of  reading  matter  for  the  young. 

Bad  books  often  find  their  way  even  where  evil 
companions  would  not  intrude ; and  undoubtedly 
effect  a work  of  evil  almost  as  great  as  is  wrought 
by  bad  associations. 

Look  out,  boys,  for  the  tempter  in  this  guise.  If 
a companion  offers  you  a book  the  character  of 
Avhich  is  suspicious,  take  it  home  to  your  father, 
your  mother,  or  some  reliable  older  friend,  for  ex- 
amination. If  it  is  handed  you  with  an  air  of 
secrecy,  or  if  a promise  to  keep  it  hidden  from 
others  is  required,  have  nothing  to  do  with  it.  You 
might  better  place  a coal  of  fire  or  a live  viper  in 
your  bosom  than  to  allow  yourself  to  read  such  a 


464  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Tenacity  of  Early  Iiiipressions.  Vile  Pictures. 

book.  The  thoughts  that  are  implanted  in  the 
mind  in  youth  will  stick  there  through  life,  in 
spite  of  all  efforts  to  dislodge  them.  Hundreds  of 
men  who  have  been  thus  injured  when  young,  but 
liave  by  some  providence  escaped  a life  of  vice  and 
shame,  look  back  with  most  intense  regret  to  the 
early  days  of  childhood,  and  earnestly  wish  that 
the  pictures  then  made  in  the  mind  by  bad  books 
might  be  effaced.  Evil  impressions  thus  formed 
often  torture  minds  during  a whole  lifetime.  In 
the  most  inopportune  moments  they  will  intrude 
themselves.  When  the  individual  desires  to  place 
his  mind  undividedly  upon  sacred  and  elevated 
themes,  even  at  the  most  solemn  moments  of  life, 
these  lewd  pictures  will  sometimes  intrude  them- 
selves in  spite  of  his  efforts  to  avoid  them.  It  is 
an  awful  thing  to  allow  the  mind  to  be  thus  contam- 
inated ; and  ihany  a man  would  give  the  world,  if 
he  possessed  it,  to  be  free  from  the  horrible  incubus 
of  a defiled  imagination. 

Vile  Pictures. — Obscene  and  lascivious  pictures 
are  influences  which  lead  boys  astray  too  important 
to  be  unnoticed.  Evil  men,  agents  of  the  arch- 
fiend, have  adopted  all  sorts  of  devices  for  putting 
inte  the  hands  of  the  boys  and  youths  of  the  rising- 
generation  pictures  calculated  to  excite  the  passions, 
to  lead  to  vice.  Thousands  of  these  vile  pictures 
are  in  circulation  throughout  the  country  in  spite 
of  the  worthy  efforts  of  such  philanthropists  as  Hr. 
Anthony  Comstock  and  his  co-laborers.  In  almost 


OLD  AND  YOTJNQ.  465 

Misapplied  Art.  Evil  Thoughts. 

every  large  school  there  are  boys  who  have  a supply 
of  these  infamous  designs  and  act  as  agents  in  scat- 
tering the  evil  contagion  among  all  who  come  under 
their  influence. 

Under  the  guise  of  art,  the  genius  of  some  of  our 
finest  artists  is  turned  to  pandering  to  this  base  desire 
for  sensuous  gratification.  The  pictures  which  hang 
in  many  of  our  art  galleries  that  are  visited  by 
old  and  young  of  both  sexes  often  number  in  the 
list  views  which  to  those  whose  thoughts  are  not 
well  trained  to  rigid  chastity  can  be  only  means  of 
evil.  A plea  may  be  made  for  these  paintings  in 
the  name  of  art ; but  we  see  no  necessity  for  the  de- 
velopment of  art  in  this  particular  direction,  when 
nature  presents  so  many  and  such  varied  scenes  of 
loveliness  in  landscapes,  flowers,  beautiful  birds,  and 
graceful  animals,  to  say  nothing  of  the  human  form 
protected  by  sufficient  covering  to  satisfy  the  de- 
mands of  modesty. 

Many  of  the  papers  and  magazines  sold  at  our 
news-stands  and  eagerly  sought  after  by  young  men 
and  boys  are  better  suited  for  the  parlors  of  a 
house  of  ill-repute  than  for  the  eyes  of  pure- 
minded  youth.  A news-dealer  who  will  distribute 
such  vile  sheets  ought  to  be  dealt  with  as  an  edu- 
cator in  vice  and  crime,  an  agent  of  evil,  and  a re- 
cruiting officer  for  hell  and  perdition. 

Evil  Thoiiglits. — No  one  can  succeed  long  in 
keeping  himself  from  vicious  acts  whose  thoughts 
dwell  upon  unchaste  subjects.  Only  those  who  are 
30 


4^66  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

The  Scars  of  Evil  Thoughts.  Influence  of  Other  Bad  Habits. 

pure  in  heart  will  be  pure  and  chaste  in  action. 
The  mind  must  be  educated  to  love  and  dwell  upon 
pure  subjects  in  early  life,  as  by  this  means  only 
can  the  foundation  be  laid  for  that  purity  of  char- 
acter which  alone  will  insure  purity  of  life.  When 
the  mind  once  becomes  contaminated  with  evil 
thoughts,  it  requires  the  work  of  years  of  earnest 
effort  to  purge  it  from  uncleanness.  Vile  thoughts 
leave  scars  which  even  time  will  not  ahvays  efface. 
They  soil  and  deprave  the  soul,  as  vile  acts  do  the 
body.  God  knows  them,  if  no  human  being  does, 
and  if  harbored  and  cherished  they  will  tell  against 
the  character  in  the  day  of  Judgment  as  shrely  as 
will  evil  words  and  deeds. 

Influence  of  Other  Bad  Habits. — EvU  practices 
of  any  sort  which  loAver  the  moral  tone  of  an  indi- 
vidual, which  lessen  his  appreciation  of  and  love 
for  right  and  purity  and  true  nobility  of  soul,  en- 
courage the  development  of  vice.  A boy  who 
loves  purity,  who  has  a keen  sense  of  what  is  true 
and  right,  can  never  become  a vicious  man.  Pro- 
fanity, falsehood,  and  deception  of  every  sort,  have 
a tendency  in  the  direction  of  vice. 

The  use  of  highly  seasoned  food,  of  rich  sauces, 
spices  and  condiments,  sweetmeats,  and  in  fact  all 
kinds  of  stimulating  foods,  has  an  undoubted  in- 
fluence upon  the  sexual  nature  of  boys,  stimulating 
those  organs  into  too  early  activity,  and  occasion- 
ing temptations  to  sin  which  otherwise  would  not 
occur.  The  use  of  mustard,  pepper,  pepper-sauce, 


OLD  AND  TO  UNO. 


467 


Bad  Effects  of  Stimulants.  Evil  Influences  of  Tobacco. 

spices,  rich  gravies,  and  all  similar  kinds  of  food, 
should  he  carefully  avoided  by  young  persons. 
They  are  not  wholesome  for  either  old  or  young ; 
but  for  the  young  they  are  absolutely  dangerous. 

The  use  of  beer,  wine,  hard  cider,  and  tobacco, 
is  especially  damaging  to  boys  on  this  account. 
These  stimulants  excite  the  passions  and  produce 
a clamoring  for  sensual  gratification  which  few 
boys  or  young  men  have  the  will  power  or  moral 
courage  to  resist.  Tobacco  is  an  especially  detri- 
mental agent.  The  early  age  at  which  boys  now 
begin  the  use  of  tobacco  may  be  one  of  the  rea- 
sons why  the  practice  of  secret  vice  is  becom- 
ing so  terribly  common  among  boys  and  young 
men.  We  never  think  a boy  or  young  man  who 
uses  tobacco  safe  from  the  commission  of  some  vile 
act. 

The  use  of  tea  and  coffee  by  boys  is  also  a prac- 
tice which  should  be  interdicted.  All  wise  physi- 
cians forbid  the  use  of  these  narcotic  drinks,  to- 
gether with  that  of  tobacco,  and  always  with  bene- 
fit to  those  who  abstain.  In  France  the  govern- 
ment has  made  a law  forbidding  the  use  of  tobacco 
by  students  in  the  public  schools.  In  Germany  a 
still  more  stringent  law  has  been  made,  which  for- 
bids the  use  of  tobacco  by  boys  and  young  men. 
These  laws  have  been  made  on  account  of  the 
serious  injury  which  was  evidently  resulting  from 
the  use  of  the  filthy  weed  to  both  the  health  and 
the  morals  of  the  young  men  of  those  countries. 


468  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Closing  Advice  to  Boys  and  Young  Men.  How  to  Escape. 

There  is  certainly  an  equal  need  for  such  a law  in 
this  country. 

Closing  Advice  to  Boys  and  Young  Men. — One 
word  more  and  we  must  close  this  chapter,  which 
we  hope  has  been  read  with  care  by  those  for 
whom  it  is  especially  written.  Let  every  boy  who 
peruses  these  pages  remember  that  the  facts  here 
stated  are  true.  Every  word  we  have  verified,  and 
we  have  not  written  one-half  that  might  be 
said  upon  this  subject.  Let  the  boy  who  is  still 
pure,  who  has  never  defiled  himself  with  vice, 
finnly  resolve  that  with  the  help  of  God  he  will 
maintain  a pure  and  virtuous  character.  It  is 
much  easier  to  preserve  purity  than  to  get  free 
from  the  taint  of  sin  after  having  been  once  de- 
filed. Let  the  boy  who  has  already  fallen  into 
evil  ways,  who  has  been  taught  the  vile  practice 
the  consequences  of  which  we  have  endeavored  to 
describe,  and  who  is  already  in  the  downward 
road, — let  him  resolve  now  to  break  the  chain 
of  sin,  to  reform  at  once,  and  to  renounce  his  evil 
practice  forever.  The  least  hesitancy,  the  slightest 
dalliance  with  the  demon  vice,  and  the  poor  victim 
will  be  lost.  Now,  this  moment,  is  the  time  to  re- 
form. Seek  purity  of  mind  and  heart.  Banish 
evil  thoughts  and  shun  evil  companions ; then  with 
earnest  prayer  to  God  wage  a determined  battle 
for  purity  and  chastity  until  the  victory  is  wholly 
won. 

One  of  the  greatest  safeguards  for  a boy  is  im- 


OLD  AND  YOU  NO.  4{j9 

A Safeguard.  Fighting  Temptation. 

plicit  trust  and  confidence  in  his  parents.  Let 
iiim  go  to  them  with  all  his  queries  instead  of  to 
some  older  boyish  friend.  If  all  boys  would  do 
this,  an  immense  amount  of  evil  would  be  pre- 
vented. When  tempted  to  sin,  boys,  think  first  of 
the  vileness  and  wickedness  of  the  act ; think  that 
God  and  pure  angels  behold  every  act,  and  even 
know  every  thought.  Nothing  is  hid  from  their 
eyes.  Think  then  of  the  awful  results  of  this  ter- 
rible sin,  and  fly  from  temptation  as  from  a burn- 
ing house.  Send  up  a prayer  to  God  to  deliver 
you  from  temptation,  and  you  will  not  fall.  Every 
battle  manfully  and  successfully  fought  will  add 
new  strength  to  your  resolution  and  force  to  your 
character.  Gaining  such  victories  from  day  to  day 
you  will  grow  up  to  be  a pure,  noble,  useful  man, 
the  grandest  work  of  God,  and  will  live  a happy, 
virtuous  life  yourself,  and  add  to  the  happiness  of 
those  around  jmu. 


A Chapter  for  Girls, 


E have  written  this  chapter  especially  for 
; girls,  and  we  sincerely  hope  that  many  will 
read  it  with  an  earnest  desire  to  be  benefited  by  so 
doing.  The  subject  of  which  we  have  to  write  is 
a delicate  one,  and  one  which,  we  regret  exceedingly, 
needs  to  be  written  about.  But  our  experience  as 
a physician  has  proven  to  us  again  and  again  that 
it  is  of  the  utmost  importance  that  something  be 
said,  that  words  of  warning  should  be  addressed 
particularly  to  the  girls  and  maidens  just  emerging 
into  Avomanhood,  on  a subject  which  vitally  con- 
cerns not  only  their  own  future  health  and  happi- 
ness, but  the  prosperity  and  destiny  of  the  race. 
Probably  no  one  can  be  better  fitted  to  speak  on  this 
subject  than  the  physician.  A physician  who  has 
given  careful  attention  to  the  health  and  the  causes 
of  ill-health  of  ladies,  and  who  has  had  opportuni- 
ties for  observing  the  baneful  influence  exertfed  upon 
the  bodies  and  minds  of  girls  and  young  women  by 
the  evil  practices  of  which  it  is  our  purpose  here  to 
speak,  can  better  appreciate  than  can  others  the 
magnitude  of  the  eAul,  and  is  better  prepared  to 
speak  upon  the  subject  understandingly  and  author- 
itatively. Gladly  would  we  shun  the  task  which 
has  been  pressed  upon  us,  but  which  we  have  long 

[470] 


OLD  AND  YOUNG,  47l 

A Soul-Destroying  Vice.  Girlhood. 

avoided,  were  it  not  for  the  sense  of  the  urgent 
need  of  its  performance  of  which  our  professional 
experience  has  thoroughly  convinced  us.  We  can- 
not keep  our  lips  closed  when  our  eyes  are  wit- 
nesses to  the  fact  that  thousands  of  the  fairest  and 
best  of  our  girls  and  maidens  are  being  beguiled 
into  everlasting  ruin  by  a soul-destroying  vice  which 
works  unseen,  and  often  so  insidiously  that  its  re- 
sults are  unperceived  until  the  work  of  ruin  is 
complete. 

The  nature  of  our  subject  necessitates  that  we 
should  speak  plainly,  though  delicately,  and  we 
shall  endeavor  to  make  our  language  comprehensi- 
ble by  any  one  old  enough  to  be  benefited  by  the 
perusal  of  this  chapter.  We  desire  that  all  who 
read  these  pages  may  receive  lasting  benefit  by  so 
doing.  The  subject  is  one  upon  which  every  girl 
ought  to  be  informed,  and  to  which  she  should  give 
serious  attention,  at  least  sufficiently  long  to  become 
intelligent  concerning  the  evils  and  dangers  to  which 
girls  are  exposed  from  this  source. 

Girlhood. — Nothing  is  so  suggestive  of  innocence 
and  purity  as  the  simple  beauty  of  girlhood  Avhen 
seen  in  its  natural  freshness,  though  too  seldom, 
now-a-days,  is  it  possible  to  find  in  our  young  girls 
tlie  natural  grace  and  healthy  beauty  which  were 
common  among  the  little  maidens  of  a quarter  of  a 
century  ago.  The  ruddy  cheeks  and  bright  eyes 
and  red  lips  which  are  indicative  of  a high  degree 
of  healthy  vigor  are  not  so  often  seen  to-day  among 


472  PLAIN  PACTS  FOR 

Evidences  of  Weakness.  Pernicious  Ideas. 

the  small  girls  in  our  public  schools  and  passing  to 
and  fro  upon  the  streets.  The  pale  cheeks,  languid 
eye4,  and  almost  colorless  lips  which  we  more  often 
see,  indicate  weakly  constitutions  and  delicate 
health,  and  prophesy  a short  and  suffering  life  to 
many.  Various  causes  are  at  work  to  produce  this 
unfortunate  decline;  and  while  we  hope  that  in  the 
larger  share  of  cases,  bad  diet,  improper  clothing, 
confinement  in  poorly  ventilated  rooms  with  too 
little  exercise,  and  similar  causes,  are  the  active 
agents,  we  are  obliged  to  recognize  the  fact  that 
there  is  in  far  too  many  cases  another  cause,  the 
very  mention  of  which  makes  us  blush  with  shame 
that  its  existence  should  be  possible.  But  of  this 
we  shall  speak  again  presently. 

Real  girls  are  like  the  just  opening  buds  of  beau- 
tiful flowers.  The  beauty  and  fragTance  of  the  full- 
blossomed  rose  scarcely  exceed  the  delicate  loveli- 
ness of  the  swelling  bud  which  shows  between  the 
sections  of  its  bursting  calyx  the  crimson  petals 
tightly  folded  beneath.  So  the  true  girl  possesses 
in  her  sphere  as  high  a degree  of  attractive  beauty 
as  she  can  hope  to  attain  in  after-years,  though  of  a 
different  character.  But  genuine  girls  are  scarce. 
Really  natural  little  girls  are  almost  as  scarce  as 
real  boys.  Too  many  girls  begin  at  a very  early 
age  to  attempt  to  imitate  the  pride  and  vanity  man- 
ifested by  older  girls  and  young  ladies.  It  is  by 
many  supposed  that  to  be  ladylike  should  be  the 
height  of  the  ambition  of  girls  as  soon  as  they 


OLD  AND  YOUNQ. 


473 


False  Training.  How  to  Develop  Beauty  and  Loveliness. 

are  old  enough  to  be  taught  respecting  propriety  of 
behavior,  which  is  understood  to  mean  that  they 
must  appear  as  unnatural  as  possible  in  attempting 
to  act  like  grown-up  ladies.  Many  mothers  who 
wish  their  daughters  to  be  models  of  perfection, 
but  whose  ideas  of  perfect  deportment  are  exceed- 
ingly superficial  in  character,  dress  up  their  little 
daughters  in  fine  clothing,  beautiful  to  look  at,  but 
very  far  from  what  is  required  for  health  and  com- 
fort, and  then  continually  admonish  the  little  ones 
that  they  must  keep  very  quiet  and  “ act  like  little 
ladies.”  Such  a course  is  a most  pernicious  one. 
It  fosters  pride  and  vanity,  and  inculcates  an  en- 
tirely wrong  idea  of  what  it  is  to  be  ladylike, — to 
be  a true  lady,  to  be  true  to  nature  as  a girl.  Such 
artificial  training  is  damagino-  alike  to  mind  and 
body ; and  it  induces  a condition  of  mind  and  of 
the  physical  system  which  is  very  conducive  to 
the  encouragement  of  dangerous  tendencies. 

How  to  Develop  Beauty  and  Loveliness. — 
All  little  girls  want  to  be  beautiful.  Girls  in  general 
care  much  more  for  their  appearance  than  do  boys. 
They  have  finer  tastes,^  and  greater  love  for  what- 
ever is  lovely  and  beautiful.  It  is  a natural  desire, 
and  should  be  encouraged!  A pure,  innocent,  beau- 
tiful little  girl  is  the  most  lovely  of  all  God’s  creat- 
ures. All  are  not  equally  beautiful,  however,  and 
cannot  be ; but  all  may  be  beautiful  to  a degree 
that  will  render  them  attractive.  Let  all  little 
girls  who  want  to  be  pretty,  handsome,  or  good- 


4j74  plain  facts  fou 

Elements  of  Beauty.  The  Human  Form  DiTine. 

looking,  give  attention  and  we  will  tell  them  how. 
Those  who  are  homely  should  listen  especially,  for 
all  may  become  good-looking,  though  all  cannot  be* 
come  remarkably  beautifuL  First  of  all,  it  is  nec- 
essary that  the  girl  who  wishes  to  be  handsome,  to 
be  admired,'  should  be  good.  She  must  learn  to  love 
what  is  right  and  true.  She  must  be  pure  in  mind 
and  act.  She  must  be  simple  in  her  manners,  mod- 
est in  her  deportment,  and  kind  in  her  ways. 

Second  in  importance,  though  scarcely  so,  is  the 
necessity  of  health.  No  girl  can  long  be  beautiful 
without  health ; and  no  girl  who  enjoys  perfect 
health  can  be  really  ugly  in  appearance.  A healthy 
countenance  is  always  attractive.  Disease  wastes  the 
rounded  features,  bleaches  out  the  roses  from  the 
cheeks  and  the  vermilion  from  the  lips.  It  de- 
stroys the  luster  of  the  eye  and  the  elasticity  of 
the  step.  Health  is  essential  to  beauty.  In  fact, 
if  we  consider  goodness  as  a state  of  moral  health, 
then  health  is  the  one  great  requisite  of  beauty. 

Health  is  obtained  and  preserved  by  the  observ- 
ance of  those  natural  laws  which  the  Creator  has 
appointed  for  the  government  of  our  bodies.  The 
structure  of  these  bodies  we  may  do  well  to  study 
for  a few  moments. 

The  Human  Form  Divine. — Go  with  us  to  one 
of  the  large  cities,  and  we  will  show  you  one  of  the 
most  marvelous  pieces  of  mechanism  ever  in- 
vented, a triumph  of  ingenuity,  skill,  and  patient, 
persevering  labor  for  many  years.  This  wonderful 


OLD  AND  YOUNG,  475 

A Wonderful  Clock.  The  Human  Machine. 

device  is  a clock  ■which  will  run  more  than  one 
hundred  years.  It  is  so  constructed  that  it  indi- 
cates not  only  the  time  of  day,  the  day  of  the 
month  and  year^  itself  making  all  the  necessary 
changes  for  leap  year,  but  shows  the  motions  of 
the  earth  around  the  sun,  together  with  the  move- 
ments and  positions  of  all  the  other  planets,  and 
many  other  marvelous  things.  When  it  strikes  at 
the  end  of  each  hour,  groups  of  figures  go  through 
a variety  of  curious  movements  most  closely  resem- 
bling the  appearance  and  actions  of  human  beings. 

The  maker  of  this  remarkable  clock  well  de- 
serves the  almost  endless  praise  which  he  receives 
I or  his  skill  and  patience,  for  his  work  is  certainly 
wonderful ; but  the  great  clock,  with  its  curious  and 
complicated  mechanism,  is  a coarse  and  bungling 
affair  when  compared  with  the  human  body.  The 
clock  doubtless  contains  thousands  of  delicate 
wheels  and  springs,  and  is  constructed  with  all  the 
skill  imaginable ; and  yet  the  structure  of  the 
human  body  is  infinitely  more  delicate.  The  clock 
has  no  intelligence ; but  a human  being  can  hear, 
see,  feel,  taste,  touch,  and  think.  The  clock  does 
only  what  its  maker  designed  to  have  it  do,  and  can 
do  nothing  else.  The  human  machine  is  a living 
mechanism  ; it  can  control  its  own  movements,  can 
do  as  it  will,  within  certain  limits.  What  is  very 
curious  indeed,  the  human  machine  has  the  power 
to  mend  itself,  so  that  when  it  needs  repairs  it  is 
not  necessary  to  send  it  to  a shop  for  the  purpose. 


476  VLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

A Wop.derfnl  Process.  Human  Buds. 

but  all  that  is  required  is  to  give  nature  an  oppor- 
tunity and  the  system  repairs  itself, 

A Wonderful  Process. — We  have  not  space  to 
describe  all  the  wonderful  mechanism  of  this  hu- 
man machine,  but  must  notice  particularly  one  of 
its  most  curious  features,  a provision  by  which 
other  human  beings,  living  machines  like  itself,  are 
produced.  All  living  creatures  possess  this  power. 
A single  potato  placed  in  the  ground  becomes  a 
dozen  or  more,  by  a process  of  multiplying.  A lit- 
tle seed  planted  in  the  earth  grows  up  to  be  a 
plant,  produces  flowers,  and  from  the  flowers  come 
other  seeds,  not  one,  but  often  a great  many,  some- 
times hundreds  from  a single  seed.  Insects,  fishes, 
birds,  and  all  other  animals,  thus  multiply.  So  do 
human  beings,  and  in  a similar  manner.  The 
organs  by  which  this  most  maiwelous  process  is 
carried  on  in  plants  and  animals,  including  also 
human  beings,  are  called  sexual  organs.  Flowers 
are  the  sexual  organs  of  plants.  And  flowers  are 
always  the  most  fragrant  and  the  most  beautiful 
when  they  are  engaged  in  this  wonderful  and  cu- 
rious work. 

Human  Bads. — A curious  animal  which  lives 
near  the  seashore,  in  shallow  water,  attached  to  a 
rock  like  a water  plant,  puts  out  little  buds  which 
grow  awhile  and  then  drop  off,  and  after  a time 
become  large  individuals  like  the  parent,  each  in  turn 
producing  buds  like  the  one  from  which  it  grew. 
Human  beings  are  formed  by  a similar  process. 


OLD  AND  YOUNG, 


477 


Development  of  Human  Buds.  How  Beauty  is  Marred. 

Human  buds  are  formed  by  an  organ  for  tbe  purpose 
possessed  only  by  the  female  sex,  and  these,  under 
proper  circumstances,  develop  into  infant  human 
beings.  The  process,  though  so  simply  stated,  is  a 
marvelously  complicated  one,  which  cannot  be 
fully  explained  here  ; indeed,  it  is  one  of  the  myste- 
ries which  it  is  beyond  the  power  of  human  wisdom 
fully  to  explain. 

The  production  of  these  human  buds  is  one  of 
the  most  important  and  sacred  duties  of  woman. 
It  is  through  this  means  that  she  becomes  a 
mother,  which  is  one  of  the  grandest  and  noblest 
functions  of  womanhood.  It  is  the  motherly  in- 
stinct that  causes  little  girls  to  show  such  a fond- 
ness for  dolls,  a perfectly  natural  feeling  which 
may  be  encouraged  to  a moderate  degree  without 
injury. 

How  Beauty  is  Marred. — As  already  remarked, 
mental,  moral,  and  physical  health  are  the  requi- 
sites for  true  beauty,  and  to  secure  these,  obedience 
to  all  the  laws  of  health  is  required.  The  most 
beautiful  face  is  soon  marred  when  disease  begins 
its  ravages  in  the  body.  The  most  beautiful  char- 
acter is  as  speedily  spoiled  by  the  touch  of  moral 
disease,  or  sin.  The  face  is  a mirror  of  the  mind, 
the  character;  and  a mind  full  of  evil,  impure 
thourrhts  is  certain  to  show  itself  in  the  face  in 
spite  of  rosy  cheeks  and  dimples,  ruby  lips  and 
bewitchinsr  smiles.  The  character  is  written  on 
the  face  as  plainly  as  the  face  may  be  pictured  b}^ 
an  artist  on  canvas. 


478  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Fashionable  Dissipation.  A Beauty-Destroying  Vice. 

To  be  more  explicit,  the  girl  who  disregards  the 
laws  of  health,  who  eats  had  food,  eats  at  all  hours 
or  at  unseasonable  hours,  sits  up  late  at  night,  at- 
tends fashionable  parties  and  indulges  in  the  usual 
means  of  dissipation  there  afforded,  dancing,  wane, 
rich  suppers,  etc.,  who  carefully  follows  the  fash- 
ions in  her  dress,  lacing  her  waist  to  attain  the 
fashionable  degree  of  slenderness,  wearing  thin, 
. narrow-toed  gaiters  with  French  heels,  and  insuffi- 
ciently clothing  the  limbs  in  cold  weather,  and  who 
in  like  manner  neglects  to  comply  with  the  require- 
ments of  health  in  other  important  particulars,  may 
be  certain  that  sooner  or  later,  certainly  at  no  dis- 
tant day,  she  will  become  as  unattractive  and  homely 
as  she  can  wish  not  to  be.  Girls  and  young  ladies 
who  eat  largely  of  fat  meat,  rich  cakes  and  pies, 
confectionery,  iced  creams,  and  other  dietetic  abom- 
inations, cannot  avoid  becoming  sallow  and  hollow- 
eyed.  The  cheeks  may  be  ever  so  plump  and  rosy, 
they  will  certainly  lose  their  freshness  and  become 
hollow  and  thin.  Chalk  and  rouge  will  not  hide 
the  defect,  for  everybody  will  discover  the  fraud, 
and  will  of  course  know  the  reason  why  it  is  prac- 
ticed. 

A Beanty-Destroying  Tice. — But  by  far  the 
worst  enemy  of  beauty  and  health  of  body,  mind, 
and  soul,  we  have  not  yet  mentioned.  It  is  a sin  con- 
cerning which  we  would  gladly  keep  silence ; but 
we  cannot  see  so  many  of  our  most  beautiful  and 
promising  girls  and  young  ladies  annually  being 


OLD  AJ^D  YOUIiG.  479 

A Mother’s  Work.  Sexual  Abuse. 

ruined,  often  for  this  world  and  the  next  alike,  with- 
out uttering  the  word  of  warning  needed. 

As  before  remarked,  the  function  of  maternity, 
which  is  the  object  of  the  sexual  system  in  woman, 
when  rightly  exercised  is  the  most  sacred  and  ele- 
vated office  which  a woman  can  perform  for  the 
world.  The  woman  who  is  a true  mother  has  an 
opportunity  of  doing  for  the  race  more  than  all 
other  human  agencies  combined.  The  mother’s 
influence  is  the  controlling  influence  in  the  world. 
The  mother  molds  the  character  of  her  children. 
She  can  make  of  their  plastic  minds  almost  w;hat 
she  will  if  she  is  herself  prepared  for  the  work.  On 
the  other  hand,  misuse  or  abuse  of  the  sexual  or- 
ganism is  visited  in  girls  and  women,  as  in  boys  and 
men,  with  the  most  fearful  penalties.  Nothing  will 
sooner  deprive  a gii’l  or  young  lady  of  the  maidenly 
srrace  and  freshness  with  which  nature  blesses 

o 

woman  in  her  early  years  than  secret  vice.  We 
have  the  greatest  difficulty  in  making  ourself  be- 
lieve that  it  is  possible  for  beings  designed  by 
nature  to  be  pure  and  innocent,  in  all  respects 
free  from  impurity  of  any  sort,  to  become  so  de- 
praved by  sin  as  to  be  willing  to  devote  themselves 
to  so  vile  and  filthy  a practice.  Yet  the  frequency 
with  which  cases  have  come  under  our  observation 
which  clearly  indicate  the  alarming  prevalence  of 
the  practice,  even  among  girls  and  young  women 
who  would  naturally  be  least  suspected,  compels 
us  to  recognize  the  fact.  The  testimony  of  many 


V 


480  PLAIN  FACTS  FOE 

Prevalence  of  the  Vice.  Terrible  Effects  of  Secret  Vice. 

eminent  physicians  whose  opportunities  for  obser- 
vation have  been  very  extensive  shows  that  the 
evil  is  enormously  greater  than  people  generally  are 
aware.  Instructors  of  the  youth,  of  large  experience, 
assert  the  same.  Nor  is  the  evil  greater  in  Amer- 
ica than  in  some  other  countries.  One  writer  de- 
clares that  the  vice  is  almost  universal  among  the 
girls  of  Russia,  which  may  be  due  to  the  low  condi- 
tion in  which  the  women  of  that  country  are  kept. 

Terrible  Eifects  of  Secret  Tice. — The  awful 
effects  of  this  sin  against  God  and  nature,  this  soul- 
and-body-destroying  vice,  become  speedily  visible 
in  those  who  are  guilty  of  it.  The  experienced  eye 
needs  no  confession  on  the  part  of  the  victim  to 
read  the  whole  story  of  sinful  indulgence  and  con- 
sequent disease.  The  vice  stamps  its  insignia  upon 
the  countenance  ; it  shows  itself  in  the  walk,  in  the 
changed  disposition  and  the  loss  of  healthy  vigor. 
It  is  not  only  impossible  for  a victim  of  this  sinful 
practice  to  hide  from  the  all-seeing  eye  of  God  the 
vileness  perpetrated  in  secret,  hut  it  is  also  useless 
to  attempt  to  hide  from  human  eyes  the  awful 
truth. 

Headache,  side-ache,  back-ache,  pains  in  the 
chest,  and  wandering  pains  in  various  parts  of 
the  body, — these  are  but  a few  of  the  painful  ail- 
ments from  which  girls  who  are  guilty  of  this  sin 
suffer.  Many  of  the  tender  spines  which  cause 
great  solicitude  on  the  part  of  parents  and  physi- 
cians, who  fear  that  disease  of  the  spine  is  threat- 


OLD  AND  TO  UNO.  481 

Evidences  of  the  Vice.  A Cause  of  Early  Decline. 

ening  the  life  of  a loved  daughter,  not  infrequently 
originate  in  this  way.  Much  of  the  hysteria  which 
renders  wretched  the  lives  of  thousands  of  young 
ladies  and  the  fond  friends  who  are  obliged  to  care 
for  and  attend  them,  arises  from  Sexual  transgres- 
sion of  the  kind  of  which  we  are  speaking.  The 
blanched  cheeks,  hollow,  expressionless  eyes,  and 
rough,  pimply  skins  of  many  school-girls  are  due  to 
this  cause  alone.  We  do  not  mean  by  this  to  inti- 
mate that  every  girl  who  has  pimples  upon  her  face 
is  guilty  of  secret  vice;  but  this  sin  is  undoubt- 
edly a very  frequent  cause  of  the  unpleasant  erup- 
tion which  so  often  appears  upon  the  foreheads  of 
both  sexes.  It  would  be  very  unjust,  however,  to 
charge  a person  with  the  sin  unless  some  further 
evidence  than  that  of  an  eruption  on  the  face  was 
afibrded. 

The  inability  to  study,  to  apply  themselves  in 
any  way  except  when  stimulated  by  something  of 
a very  exciting  character,  which  many  girls  exhibit 
is  in  a large  proportion  of  cases  due  to  the  practice 
of  which  we  are  writing.  Often  enough  the  effects 
which  are  attributed  to  overstudy  are  properly  due 
to  this  debasing  habit.  We  have  little  faith  in  the 
great  outcry  made  in  certain  quarters  about  the 
damaging  effects  of  study  upon  the  health  of  young- 
ladies.  A far  less  worthy  cause  is  in  many  cases 
the  true  one,  to  which  is  attributable  the  decline 
in  health  at  a critical  period  when  all  the  vital 
forces  of  the  system  are  necessarily  called  into  ac- 
tion to  introduce  the  activity  of  a new  function. 

31 


4.82  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

A Critical  Period.  Cause  of  Many  Diseases. 

Hundreds  of  girls  break  down  in  health  just  as 
they  are  entering  womanhood.  At  from  twelve 
to  eighteen  years  of  age  the  change  naturally  oc- 
curs which  transforms  the  girl  into  a woman  by  the 
development  of  functions  previously  latent.  This 
critical  period  is  one  through  which  every  girl  in 
health  ought  to  pass  with  scarcely  any  noticeable 
disturbance;  and  if  during  the  previous  years  of 
life  the  laws  of  health  were  observed,  there  would 
seldom  be  any  unusual  degree  of  suffering  at  this 
time.  Those  who  have  before  this  period  been  ad- 
•dicted  to  the  vile  habit  of  which  we  are  writing, 
will  almost  invariably  show  at  this  time  evidences 
of  the  injury  which  has  been  wrought.  The  unnat- 
ural excitement  of  the  organs  before  the  period  of 
puberty,  lays  the  foundation  for  life-long  disease. 
When  that  critical  epoch  arrives,  the  organs  are 
found  in  a state  of  congestion  often  bordering  on 
inflammation.  The  increased  congestion  which 
naturally  occurs  at  this  time  in  many  cases  is  suf- 
ficient to  excite  most  serious  disease.  Here  is  the 
beginning  of  a great  many  of  the  special  diseases 
which  are  the  bane  and  shame  of  the  sex.  Dis- 
placements of  various  sorts,  congestions,  neuralgia 
of  the  ovaries,  leucorrhoea,  or  whites,  and  a great 
variety  of  kindred  maladies, are  certain  to  make  their 
appearance  at  this  period  or  soon  after  in  those  who 
have  previously  been  guilty  of  self-abuse.  If  the 
evil  influences  already  at  work  are  augmented  by 
tight  lacing,  improper  dressing  of  the  extremities, 


OLD  AND  TO  UNO. 


483 


Effects  of  Fashionable  Dissipation.  Eemote  Effects. 

hanging  heavy  skirts  upon  the  hips,  and  fashion- 
able dissipation  generally,  the  worst  results  are  sure 
to  follow,  and  the  individual  is  certain  to  be  a sub- 
ject for  the  doctors  for  a good  portion  of  her  life. 

A talented  writer  some  time  since  contributed  to 
a popular  magazine  an  article  entitled,  “ The  Little 
Health  of  Women,”  which  contained  many  excel- 
lent hints  respecting  the  influences  at  work  to  un- 
dermine the  health  and  destroy  the  constitutions  of 
American  women ; but  he  did  not  even  hint  at  tliis 
potent  cause,  which,  we  firmly  believe,  is  re.sponbi- 
ble  for  a far  greater  share  of  the  local  disease  and 
general  poor  health  of  girls,  young  women,  and  mar- 
ried ladies,  than  has  been  generally  recognized. 
These  are  startling  facts,  but  we  are  prepared  to 
substantiate  them. 

Hemote  Effects  i— Not  all  of  the  efiects  of  the 
vice  appear  in  girlhood,  nor  even  during  early  life. 
Not  infrequently  it  is  not  until  the  girl  has  grown 
up  to  be  a wife  and  mother  that  she  begins  to  ap- 
preciate fully  the  harm  that  has  been  wrought.  At 
this  time,  when  new  demands  are  made  upon  the 
sexual  organism,  when  its  proper  duties  are  to  be 
performed,  there  is  a sudden  failure ; new  weak- 
nesses and  diseases  make  their  appearance,  new 
pains  and  sufferings  are  felt,  which  no  woman 
who  has  not  in  some  way  seriously  transgressed 
the  laws  of  health  will  suffer.  In  not  a few  in- 
stances it  is  discovered  that  the  individual  is 
wholly  unfitted  for  the  duties  of  maternity.  Often, 


484 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 


Causes  which  Lead  Girls  Astray.  Vicious  Companioni. 

indeed,  maternity  is  impossible,  the  injury  result- 
ing from  the  sins  committed  being  so  great  as  to  ren- 
der the  diseased  organism  incapable  of  the  func- 
tions required. 

In  the  great  majority  of  cases  these  peculiar  dif- 
ficulties, morbid  conditions,  and  incapacities  are  at- 
tributed to  overwork,  overstudy,  “taking  cold,” 
“ getting  the  feet  wet,”  or  some  other  cause  wholly 
inadequate  to  account  for  the  diseased  conditions 
present,  although  in  many  instances  it  may  be  true 
that  some  such  unfortunate  circumstance  may  be 
the  means  of  precipitating  the  effects  of  previous 
sin  upon  organs  already  relaxed,  debilitated,  and 
thus  prepared  readily  to  take  on  disease. 

Causes  which  Lead  Girls  Astray. — The  predis- 
posing causes  of  sexual  vices  have  already  been 
dwelt  upon  so  fully  in  this  volume  that  we  shall 
devote  little  space  to  the  subject  here.  We  may, 
however,  mention  a few  of  the  causes  which  seem 
to  be  most  active  in  leading  to  the  formation  of 
evil  habits  among  girls. 

Vicious  Companions. — Girls  are  remarkably  sus- 
ceptible to  influence  by  those  of  their  own  age.  A 
vicious  girl  who  makes  herself  agreeable  to  those 
with  whom  she  associates  can  exert  more  influence 
over  many  of  her  companions  than  can  any  num- 
ber of  older  persons.  Even  a mother  rarely  has 
that  influence  over  her  daughter  that  is  maintained 
by  the  girl  whom  she  holds  as  her  bosom  friend. 
The  close  friendships  which  are  often  formed  be- 


OLD  AND  YOUNG.  455 

“Whom  to  Avoid.  Sentimental  Books. 

tween  girls  of  the  same  age  are  often  highly  detri- 
mental in  character.  Each  makes  a confidant  of 
the  other,  and  thus  becomes  estranged  from  the 
only  one  competent  to  give  counsel  and  advice,  and 
the  one  who  of  all  others  is  worthy  of  a young- 
girl’s  confidence, — her  mother. 

From  these  unfortunate  alliances  often  arise 
most  deplorable  evils.  Vicious  companions  not  in- 
frequently sow  the  seeds  of  evil  habits  far  and 
wide,  contaminating  all  who  come  within  their  in- 
fluence. 

Whom  to  Avoid. — A girl  will  always  do  well  to 
avoid  a companion  who  is  vain,  idle,  silly,  or  friv- 
olous. Girls  who  have  these  evil  characteristics  are 
very  likely  to  have  others  also  which  are  worse.  A 
girl  who  is  rude  in  her  manners,  careless  in  her  hab- 
its, irreverent  and  disobedient  to  parents  and  teach- 
ers, is  always  an  unsafe  companion.  No  matter  how 
pretty,  witty,  stylish,  or  aristocratic  she  may  be, 
she  should  be  shunned.  Her  influence  will  be  with- 
ering, debasing,  wherever  felt.  A girl  may  be  gay 
and  thoughtless  without  being  vicious ; but  the 
chances  are  ten  to  one  that  she  will  become  sinful 
unless  she  changes  her  ways. 

Sentimental  Books. — The  majority  of  girls  love 
to  read,  but,  unfortunately,  the  kind  of  literature 
of  which  they  are  chiefly  fond  is  not  of  a character 
which  will  elevate,  refine,  or  in  any  way  benefit 
them.  Story  books,  romances,  love  tales,  and  re- 
ligious novels  constitute  the  chief  part  of  the  read- 


486 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 


Novel  Keadhig.  Evil  Effects  of  Bad  Books. 

ing  matter  whicli  American  young  ladies  greedily 
devour.  We  have  known  young  ladies  still  in  their 
teens  who  had  read  whole  libraries  of  the  most  ex- 
citing novels. 

The  taste  for  novel-reading  is  like  that  for  liquor 
or  opium.  It  is  never  satiated.  It  grows  with 
gratification.  A confirmed  novel-reader  is  almost 
as  difiicult  to  reform  as  a confirmed  inebriate  or 
opium-eater.  The  influence  upon  the  mind  is  most 
damaging  and  pernicious.  It  not  only  destroys 
the  love  for  solid,  useful  reading,  hut  excites  the 
emotions,  and  in  many  cases  keeps  the  passions  in 
a perfect  fever  of  excitement.  The  confessions  of 
young  women  who  were  to  all  appearance  the  most 
circumspect  in  every  particular,  and  whom  no  one 
mistrusted  to  he  capable  of  vile  thoughts,  have 
convinced  us  that  this  evil  is  more  prevalent  than 
many,  even  of  those  who  are  quite  well  informed 
would  be  willing  to  admit. 

By  reading  of  this  kind,  many  are  led  to  resort 
to  self-abuse  for  the  gratification  of  passions  which 
over-stimulation  has  made  almost  uncontrollable. 
Some  have  thus  been  induced  to  sin  who  had  never 
been  injui'ed  by  other  influences,  but  discovered 
the  fatal  secret  themselves.  Mothers  cannot  be  too 
cai’eful  of  the  character  of  the  books  which  their 
daughters  read.  Every  book,  magazine,  and  paper 
should  be  carefully  scrutinized,  unless  its  character 
is  already  well  known,  befoi-e  it  is  allowed  to  be 
read.  In  our  opinion,  some  of  the  literature  which 


OLD  AND  YOUNG,  4^7 

Various  Causes.  Childish  Flirtations. 

passes  as  standard,  whicli  is  often  found  on  parlor 
center-tables  and  in  family  and  school  libraries, 
such  as  Chaucer’s  poeit^j  and  other  writings  of  a 
kindred  character,  is  unfit  for  perusal  by  inexperi- 
enced and  unsophisticated  young  ladies.  Some  of 
this  literature  is  actually  too  vile  for  any  one  to 
read,  and  if  written  to-day  by  any  poet  of  note 
would  cause  his  works  to  be  committed  to  the  stove 
and  the  rag-bag  in  spite  of  his  reputation. 

Various  Causes. — Bad  diet,  the  use  of  stimulating 
and  exciting  articles  of  food,  late  suppers,  confec- 
tionery and  dainties, — all  these  have  a very  power- 
ful influence  in  the  wrong  direction  by  exciting 
functions  which  ought  to  be  kept  as  nearly  latent 
as  possible.  The  use  of  tea  and  cofiee  by  young 
ladies  cannot  be  too  strongly  condemned.  Improper 
dress,  by  causing  local  congestion,  often  predisposes 
to  secret  vice  by  occasioning  local  excitement. 
Probably  a greater  cause  than  any  of  those  last 
mentioned  is  too  great  familiarity  with  the  opposite 
sex.  The  silly  letters  which  girls  sometimes  allow 
themselves  to  receive  from  the  boys  and  young  men 
of  their  acquaintance,  and  which  they  encourage 
by  letters  of  a similar  character,  must  be  condemned 
in  the  most  thorough  manner.  Upon  receiving 
such  a letter  a pure-minded  girl  will  consider  her- 
self insulted,  and  has  just  reason  for  so  doing.  The 
childish  flirtations  which  girls  and  boys  some- 
times indulge  in  often  lead  to  evils  of  a most  revolt- 
ing character. 


■4: 


488  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

Modesty  Woman’s  Safeguard.  A Few  Sad  Cases. 

Modesty  Woman’s  Safeguard. — True  modesty 
and  maidenly  reserve  are  the  best  guardians  of  \dr- 
tue.  The  girl  who  is  truly  modest,  who  encourages 
and  allows  no  improper  advances,  need  have  no  fear 
of  annoyance  from  this  source.  She  is  equally  safe 
from  temptation  to  sin  which  may  come  to  her  in 
secret,  when  no  human  eye  can  behold.  Maidenly 
modesty  is  one  of  the  best  qualities  which  any 
young  lady  can  possess.  A young  woman  who 
lacks  modesty,  who  manifests  boldness. of  man- 
ner and  carelessness  in  deportment,  is  not  only  lia- 
ble to  have  her  virtue  assailed  by  designing  and 
unscrupulous  men,  but  is  herself  likely  to  fall  be- 
fore the  temptation  to  indulge  in  secret  sin,  which 
is  certain  to  present  itself  in  some  way  sooner  or 
later. 

This  invaluable  protection  is  speedily  lost,  by  the 
girl  who  abandons  herself  to  secret  vice.  The 
chances  are  very  great,  also,  that  by  degrees  her 
respect  for  and  love  of  virtue  and  chastity  will  di- 
minish until  she  is  open  to  temptations  to  indulge’ 
in  less  secret  sin ; and  thus  she  travels  down  the 
road  of  vice  until  she  finds  herself  at  last  an  inmate 
of  a brothel  or  an  outcast  wanderer,  rejected  by 
friends,  and  lost  to  virtue,  purity,  and  aU  that  a 
true  woman  holds  most  dean 

A Few  Sad  Cases. — Although  we  do  not  believe 
it  rioht  to  harrow  the  feelings  of  those  who  have 
sinned  and  sufiered  with  a rehearsal  of  sad  cases 
when  no  good  can  be  accomplished  by  such  ac- 


OLD  AND  YOUNO. 


489 


A Pitiful  Case.  Appalling  Effects  of  Vice. 

counts,  we  deem  it  but  just  that  those  who  are 
not  yet  entangled  in  the  meshes  of  vice  should 
have  an  opportunity  of  knowing  the  actual  results 
of  sin,  and  profiting  by  the  sad  experience  of  oth- 
ers, It  is  for  this  purpose  that  we  shall  mention  a 
few  cases  which  have  come  under  our  observation, 
taking  care  to  avoid  mentioning  any  facts  which 
might  lead  to  identification,  as  the  facts  we  shall 
use  were,  many  of  them,  received  in  strict  confi- 
dence from  those  who  were  glad  to  unburden  their 
hearts  to  some  one,  but  had  never  dared  to  do  so, 
even  to  their  friends. 

A Pitiful  Case. — Several  years  ago  we  received 
a letter  from  a young  woman  in  an  Eastern  State 
in  which  she  described  her  case  as  that  of  an  indi- 
vidual who  had  early  become  addicted  to  secret 
vice  and  had  continued  the  vile  habit  until  that 
time,  when  she  was  about  thirty-two  years  of  age. 
In  spite  of  the  most  solemn  vows  to  reform,  she  still 
continued  the  habit,  and  had  become  reduced  to 
such  a miserable  condition  that  she  would  almost 
rather  die  than  live.  She  sent  with  her  letter  pho- 
tographs representing  herself  at  twenty  and  at  th&t 
time,  so  that  we  might  see  the  contrast.  It  was 
indeed  appalling  to  see  what  changes  sin  had 
wrought.  Her  face,  once  fair  and  comely,  had  be- 
come actually  haggard  with  vice.  Purity,  inno- 
cence, grace,  and  modesty  were  no  longer  visible 
there.  The  hard  lines  of  sin  had  obliterated  every 
trace  of  beauty,  and  produced  a most  repulsive  coua- 


490 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 


A Dreadful  Contrast.  A Mind  Dethroned. 

tenance.  Though  greatly  depraved  and  shattered 
by  sin  and  consequent  disease  in  body  and  mind, 
she  still  had  some  desire  to  be  cured,  if  possible^ 
and  made  a most  pitiful  appeal  for  help  to  escape 
from  her  loathsome  condition.  We  gave  her  the 
best  counsel  we  could  under  the  circumstances,  and 
did  all  in  our  power  to  rescue  her  from  her  living 
death ; but  whether  in  any  degree  successful  we  can- 
not tell,  as  we  have  never  heard  from  the  poor 
creature  since. 

We  have  often  wished  since  that  we  might  but 
show  those  two  pictures  to  every  girl  who  has  been 
tempted  to  sin  in  this  way,  to  all  who  have  ever 
yielded  to  this  awful  vice.  The  terrible  contrast 
would  certainly  produce  an  impression  which  no 
words  can  do.  We  sent  them  back  to  their  wretched 
original,  however,  by  her  request,  and  so  cannot 
show  the  actual  pictures ; but  when  any  who 
read  these  lines  are  tempted  thus  to  sin  we  beg 
them  to  think  of  these  two  pictures,  and  by  fonn- 
ing  a vivid  image  of  them  in  the  mind  (drive  away 
the  disposition  to  do  wrong. 

A Mind  Dethroned. — A young  lady  who  had  re- 
ceived every  advantage  which  could  be  given  her 
by  indulgent  parents,  and  who  naturally  possessed 
most  excellent  talents,  being  a fine  musician,  and 
naturally  so  bright  and  witty  as  to  be  the  life  of 
every  company  in  which  she  moved,  suddenly  be- 
gan to  show  strange  symptoms  of  mental  unsound- 
ness. She  would  sometimes  be  seized  with  fits 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


491 


Transgressions  and  Penalties,  A Penitent  Victim, 

of  violence  during  which  it  was  with  great  dif- 
ficulty that  she  could  be  controlled.  Several 
times  she  threatened  the  lives  of  her  nurses,  and 
even  on  one  occasion  attempted  to  execute  her 
threat,  the  person’s  life  being  saved  by  mere  acci- 
dent. Everything  was  done  for  her  that  could  be 
done,  but  the  mania  increased  to  such  a degree  of 
violence  that  she  was  sent  to  an  asylum  for  the  in- 
sane. Here  she  remained  for  months  before  she 
became  sufficiently  tractable  to  be  taken  to  her 
home  and  cared  for  by  friends.  Too  close  applica- 
tion to  study  was  the  cause  at  first  assigned  for 
her  mental  disorder,  but  a careful  investigation  of 
the  case  revealed  the  fact  that  the  terrible  sin  which 
has  ruined  the  minds  of  so  many  promising  young 
men  and  brilliant  young  women  was  the  cause 
that  led  to  the  sad  result  in  this  case  also.  The 
punishment  of  sin,  especially  of  sexual  sins,  is  in- 
deed teri'ible  ; but  the  sin  is  a fearful  one,  and  the 
penalty  must  be  equal  to  the  enormity  of  the  crime. 
Not  all  young  women  who  indulge  thus  will  be- 
come insane,  but  any  one  who  thus  transgresses 
may  be  thus  punished.  There  is  no  safety  but  in 
absolute  purity, 

A Penitent  Yictim. — A young  woman  who  had 
been  ill  for  years,  and  whose  physicians  had  sought 
in  vain  to  cure  her  various  ailments,  until  her  par- 
ents almost  despaired  of  her  ever  being  anything 
but  a helpless  invalid,  came  to  us  for  treatment, 
resolved  upon  making  a last  efibrt  for  health.  She 


492  PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

A Caus^  of  Obstinate  Disease.  Victory  Gained. 

had  grown  up  in  utter  ignorance  of  the  laws  of 
health  and  of  the  results  of  the  vice  of  which  we 
are  writing ; and  having  been  early  taught  the  sin, 
she  had  indulged  it  for  a number  of  yeare  with  the 
result  of  producing  a most  terribly  diseased  condi- 
tion of  the  sexual  organs,  which  had  baffled  the  skill 
of  all  the  physicians  who  had  attended  her,  none 
of  whom  had  ever  been  made  acquainted  with 
the  true  cause  of  the  difflculties.  When  apprized 
of  the  real  facts  in  the  case,  that  she  was  alone  re- 
sponsible for  the  sad  condition  into  which  she  had 
fallen,  her  eyes  were  opened  to  see  the  wickedness 
and  vileness  of  her  course.  She  bitterly  bemoaned 
her  past  life,  and  heartily  repented  of  her  sins. 
Of  the  sincerity  of  her  repentance  she  gave  evidence 
in  the  earnest  efforts  which  she  put  forth  to  help 
herself.  She  spared  no  pains  to  do  well  all  required 
on  her  part,  and  was  soon  rewarded  by  feeling  that 
her  diseases  were  being  removed  and  health  was 
returning.  Still,  she  was  constantly  reminded  of 
her  former  sins.  W^hen  the  will  was  off  its  guard, 
during  sleep,  the  mind,  long  indulged  in  sin,  would 
revert  to  the  old  channels  and  riot  in  vileness.  Un- 
chaste dreams  made  her  often  dread  to  sleep,  as  she 
awoke  from  these  unconscious  lapses  enervated^ 
weak,  and  prostrated  as  though  she  had  actually 
transgressed.  But  though  often  thus  almost  dis- 
heartened she  continued  the  straggle,  and  was 
finally  rewarded  by  gaining  a perfect  victory  over 
her  mind,  sleeping  as  well  as  waking,  and  recover- 


OLD  AND  YOUNG.  493 

An  Insane  Vice.  A Ruined  GirL 

ing  her  health  sufficiently  to  enable  her  to  enjoy 
life  and  make  herself  very  useful. 

Not  a few  similar  cases  have  come  under  our  ob- 
servation ; and  it  seems  to  us  that  the  pain,  anguish, 
and  remorse  suffered  by  these  poor  victims,  ought 
to  be  a warning  to  those  who  have  never  entered 
the  sinful  road.  What  a terrible  thing  it  is  for  a 
pure  and  lovely  being,  designed  by  God  to  fulfill  a 
high,  holy,  and  sacred  mission  in  the  world,  to  be- 
come a victim  to  such  a filthy  vice ! No  girl  of 
sense  would  in  her  right  mind  raise  her  hand  to 
dash  in  pieces  a beautiful  vase,  to  destroy  a lovely 
painting,  or  a beautiful  piece  of  statuary.  A girl 
who  would  do  such  a thing  would  be  considered 
insane  and  a fit  subject  for  a mad-house.  Yet  is  not 
the  human  body,  a girl’s  own  beautiful,  symmetrical 
form,  infinitely  better,  more  valuable  and  more 
sacred,  than  any  object  produced  by  human  art  ? 
There  can  be  but  one  answer.  How,  then,  is  it  pos- 
sible for  her  thus  to  defile  and  destroy  herself  ? Is 
it  not  a fearful  thing  ? a terrible  vice  ? 

A Ruined  Girl. — One  of  the  most  remarkable 
cases  of  disease  resulting  from  self-abuse  which  ever 
came  under  our  observation  was  that  of  a young 
lady  from  a distant  Western  State  whose  adopted 
parents,  after  consulting  many  different  physicians 
for  a peculiar  disease  of  the  breast,  placed  her  under 
our  care.  We  found  her  a good-looking  young- 
woman  about  seventeen  years  of  age,  rather  pale 
and  considerably  emaciated,  very  nervous  and  hys- 


494  TLAIN  FACTS  FOR 

j Suspicious  Symptoms.  Suspicions  Confirmed. 

I ; ^ ; 

1 terical,  and  suffering  with  severe  pain  in  the  left 
breast,  which  was  swollen  to  nearly  double  the 
natural  size,  hot,  tense,  pulsating,  and  extremely 
tender  to  the  touch.  Occasionally  she  would  expe- 
rience paroxysms  in  which  she  apparently  suffered 
extremely,  being  sometimes  semi-conscious,  and 
scarcely  breathing  for  hours.  We  suspected  the 
cause  of  these  peculiar  manifestations  at  the  out- 
set, but  every  suggestion  of  the  possibility  of  the 
suspected  cause  was  met  with  a stout  denial  and  a 
very  deceptive  appearance  of  innocent  ignorance 
on  the  subject.  All  treatment  was  imavailing  to 
check  the  disease.  Though  sometimes  the  symp- 
toms seemed  to  be  controlled,  a speedy  relapse  oc- 
curred, so  that  no  progress  toward  a cure  was  made. 
Finally  our  conviction  that  our  first  impression  re- 
specting the  case  was  correct  became  so  strong  that 
we  hesitated  no  longer  to  treat  it  as  such.  By  most 
vigilant  observation  we  detected  evidences  of  the 
soul-corrupting  vice  which  we  considered  unmistak- 
able, and  then  the  young  woman  who  had  pretended 
such  profound  ignorance  of  the  matter  confessed  to 
an  extent  of  wickedness  which  was  perfectly  ap- 
palling. Every  pai’oxysm  was  traced  to  an  un- 
usual excess  of  sinful  indulgence.  So  hardened  was 
she  by  her  evil  practices  that  she  seemed  to  feel  no 
remorse,  and  only  promised  to  reform  when  threat- 
ened with  exposure  to  her  parents  unless  she  im- 
mediately ceased  the  vile  practice.  In  less  than 
ten  da3's  the  mysterious  symptoms  which  had  puz- 


OLD  AND  TO  UNO.  495 

Hopelessly  Depraved.  Danger  of  Boarding-Schools. 

zled  many  physicians  disappeared  altogether.  The 
swollen,  tender  breast  was  no  larger  than  the  other, 
and  was  so  entirely  restored  that  she  was  able  to 
s^ik^it.a  full  blow  without  pain. 

So  great  was  the  depravity  of  this  girl,  however, 
that  she  had  no  notion  of  making  a permanent  re- 
form. She  even  boasted  of  her  wickedness  to  a 
companion,  and  announced  her  intention  to  continue 
the  practice.  We  sent  her  home,  and  apprized  her 
parents  of  the  full  facts  in  the  case,  for  which  we 
received  their  deepest  gratitude,  though  their  hearts 
were  nearly  broken  with  grief  at  the  sad  revelation 
made  to  them.  Notwithstanding  their  most  ear- 
nest efforts  in  her  behalf,  the  wretched  girl  contin- 
ued her  downward  career,  and  a year  or  two  after 
we  learned  that  she  had  sunk  to  the  very  lowest 
depths  of  shame. 

Once  this  now  wretched,  disgraced  creature  was 
an  attractive,  pure,  innocent  little  girl.  Her  adopted 
father  lavished  upon  her  numerous  presents,  and 
spent  hundreds  of  dollars  to  obtain  her  recovery  to 
health.  Yet  through  this  awful  vice  she  was  ru- 
ined utterly,  and  rendered  so  wholly  perverse  and 
bad  that  she  had  no  desire  to  be  better,  no  disposi- 
tion to  reform.  God  only  knows  what  will  be  her 
sad  end.  May  none  who  read  thesp  lines  ever  fol- 
low in  her  footsteps. 

The  Danger  of  Boarding-Schools.— Some  years 
ago  a young  lady  came  under  our  medical  care  who 
had  suffered  for  some  time  from  a serious  nervous 


496  PLAIN  FACTi^  FOR 

An  Interesting  Case.  The  Power  of  Habit. 

difficulty  which  had  baffied  the  skill  of  all  the  phy- 
sicians who  had  had  charge  of  her  case,  and  which 
occasioned  her  a great  amount  of  suffering,  making 
it  necessary  that  she  should  be  confined  to  her  bed 
most  of  the  time,  the  disease  being  aggravated  by 
exercise,  and  the  patient  having  been  much  weak- 
ened by  its  long  continuance. 

All  the  remedies  usually  successful  in  such  cases 
were  employed  with  little  or  no  efiect,  and  w^  were 
feeling  somewhat  perplexed  concerning  the  case, 
when  the  young  lady  sent  for  us  one  daj’’  and  upon 
our  going  to  her  room  in  answer  to  her  call  she  im- 
mediately burst  into  tears  and  acknowledged  that 
she  had  been  addicted  to  the  habit  of  self-abuse 
and  that  she  was  still  suffering  from  involuntary 
excitement  during  sleep.  Having  been  placed  in  a 
boarding-school  when  quite  young,  she  had  there 
learned  the  vile  habit,  and  had  practiced  it  without 
knowing  anything  of  the  ill  effects  or  really  appre- 
ciating its  sinfulness.  When  she  learned,  some 
years  after,  that  the  habit  was  a most  pernicious 
vice  and  of  a character  to  bring  destruction  to  both 
soul  and  body  of  one  addicted  to  it,  she  endeavored 
to  free  herself  from  its  shackles ; but  she  found 
herself  too  securely  bound  for  escape.  It  seemed, 
indeed,  an  utter  impossibility.  Her  thoughts  had 
long  been  allowed  to  run  in  sentimental  channels, 
and  now  they  would  do  so  in  spite  of  the  most  ear- 
nest efforts  to  the  contrary,  dui’ing  her  waking 
hours ; and  in  sleep,  while  the  will  power  was  not 


OLD  AND  YOUNO. 


497 


A Hopeful  Prospect.  A Desperate  Case. 

active,  the  imagination  would  run  riot  uncontrolled, 
leaving  her,  upon  awaking,  exhausted,  enervated, 
and  almost  desperate  with  chagrin.  Knowing  that 
she  was  daily  suffering  for  her  transgressions,  she 
was  filled  with  remorse  and  regret,  and  would  have 
given  all  to  undo  the  past ; hut,  alas  ! she  could  not, 
and  could  only  suffer  with  patience  until  relief 
could  he  secured.  Her  love  for  sentimental  litera- 
ture occasioned  another  battle  for  her  to  fight ; for 
she  could  scarcely  resist  the  temptation  daily  of- 
fered her  to  while  away  some  of  the  weary  hours 
with  such  stories  of  love  and  sentiment  as  she  had 
been  accustomed  to  enjoy.  But  she  fought  the 
battle  earnestly,  and  finally  succeeded  in  conquering 
the  evil  tendencies  of  her  mind  both  while  awake 
and  when  asleep ; and  from  that  time  she  began  to 
make  slow  progress  toward  recovery.  The  last  we 
saw  of  her  she  was  doing  well,  and  hoped  in  time 
to  arrive  at  a very  comfortable  state  of  health. 

A Desperate  Case. — A little  girl  about  ten  years 
of  age  was  brought  to  us  by  her  father,  Avho  came 
with  his  daughter  to  have  her  broken  of  the  vile 
habit  of  self-abuse  into  which  she  had  fallen,  hav- 
ing been  taught  it  by  a German  servant  girl.  Hav- 
ing read  an  early  copy  of  this  work,  the  father  had 
speedily  detected  the  habit,  and  had  adopted  every 
measure  which  he  could  devise  to  break  his  child 
of  the  destructive  vice  which  she  had  acquired,  but 
in  vain.  After  applying  various  other  measures 
without  success,  it  finally  became  necessary  to  re- 
32 


498 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOB 


A Severe  Bemedy.  A Father  in  Teai-3. 

sort  to  a surgical  operation,  by  which  it  is  hoped 
that  she  was  permanently  cured,  as  we  have  heard 
nothing  to  the  contrary  since,  and  as  the  remedy 
seemed  to  be  effectual.  It  was  a severe  remedy, 
and  may  seem  a harsh  one,  but  every  other  means 
utterly  failed,  and  the  father  insisted  upon  the  per- 
formance of  the  operation  as  a trial.  This  little 
girl,  naturally  truthful  and  honest,  had,  through  the 
influence  of  this  blightinor  vice,  been  made  craftv 
and  deceptive.  She  would  tell  the  most  astonish- 
ing falsehoods  to  free  herself  from  the  charge  of 
guilt  or  to  avoid  punishment.  The  gentleman,  her 
father,  felt  so  deeply  upon  the  subject  and  was  so 
thoroughly  awake  to  the  consequences  of  the  sin, 
that  he  declared  he  would  take  his  daughter  away 
into  the  wilderness  and  leave  her  to  die,  if  need  be, 
rather  than  allow  her  to  grow  up  to  womanhood 
with  this  vile  blight  upon  her,  and  run  the  risk  of 
her  contaminating  with  the  same  vice  his  other, 
younger  children.  He  felt  so  deeply  that  the  team 
coursed  down  his  cheeks  as  he  talked,  and  we  were 
most  happy  to  be  of  service  to  him  in  aiding  his 
daughter  to  'overcome  the  fascinating  vice.  She 
seemed  willing  to  try  to  help  herself,  but  was  una- 
ble to  break  the  bonds  of  sin  without  the  extraor- 
dinary help  which  she  received. 

We  might  continue  this  rehearsal  of  cases  to  an 
almost  indeflnite  length,  but  we  must  soon  bring 
this  chapter  to  a close.  Those  described  are  only  a 
few  examples  of  the  many  we  are  constantly  meeting. 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


499 


Words  of  Warning.  A Last  Word. 

None  have  been  overdrawn ; much  has  been  omitted 
for  the  sake  of  delicacy  which  the  exposure  of  the 
whole  truth  would  have  required  us  to  present. 
We  sincerely  hope  that  these  examples  may  be  a 
warning  to  those  who  have  never  marred  their 
purity  of  character  by  an  unchaste  act.  To  those 
who  may  have  already  sinned  in  this  manner  let 
these  words  come  with  double  force  and  meanincr 

“CD 

Do  you  value  life,  health,  beauty,  honor,  virtue, 
purity  ? Then  for  the  sake  of  all  these,  abandon  the 
evil  practice  at  once.  Do  not  hesitate  for  a moment 
to  decide,  and  do  not  turn  back  after  deciding 
to  reform. 

A Last  Word. — Girls,  as  one  who  has  only  your 
best  interests  in  view,  and  who  would  do  you  good, 
we  beg  of  you  to  give  heed  one  moment  to  the  im- 
portant matter  which  we  have  been  presenting  be- 
fore you.  It  is  of  no  frivolous  character.  It  is 
one  of  the  most  important  subjects  to  which  your 
attention  can  be  called.  Only  those  who  are  ut- 
terly ignorant  of  the  dangers  which  surround  them 
in  the  world,  or  wjio  are  already  hardened  in  sin, 
will  treat  this  matter  lightly  or  scornfully.  If  you 
are  still  pure  and  possess  a character  unsoiled  by 
sin,  thank  God  that  you  have  been  preserved  until 
now,  and  humbly  petition  him  to  enable  you  to  re- 
main as  pure  and  unsullied  as  you  now  are.  Cul- 
tivate all  of  the  heavenly  graces.  Make  your  dear 
mother  your  confidant  in  all  your  perplexities  and 
trials.  Go  to  her  for  information  on  all  subjects 


500 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOB 


Avoid  Temptation,  The  Way  Back. 

upon  which  you  find  yourself  ignorant.  Let  no 
foreign  influence  beguile  away  your  confidence  from 
her  who  is  most  worthy  of  your  love  and  respect, 
and  who  is  best  prepared  to  instnict  you  on  all  sub- 
jects, no  matter  how  delicate.  Trust  in  God  for 
help  to  resist  evil  under  every  guise.  Mee  from 
temptation  under  whatever  form  it  may  appear. 
Thus  may  you  escape  the  suffering,  the  sorrow,  and 
the  remorse,  which  is  endured  sooner  or  later  by 
all  who  enter  the  road  of  sin,  no  matter  how  short 
a time  they  may  travel  therein. 

To  those  who  have  already  fallen,  who  have  been 
led  astray  either  ignorantly  or  through  weakness 
in  yielding  to  temptation,  we  will  say.  Turn  from 
your  evil  way  at  once.  Misery,  son’ow,  anguish, 
and  everlasting  ruin  stare  you  in  the  face.  Perdi- 
tion is  before  you.  You  need  not  think  to  escape 
the  punishmMit  that  others  sufier,  for  there  is  no 
way  of  escape.  The  penalty  will  surely  come. 
Make  haste  to  return  to  the  paths  of  purity  before 
it  is  too  late  to  mend  the  past.  It  may  take  years 
of  pure  and  upright  living  to  repair  the  evil  alreadj' 
done  ; but  do  not  hesitate  to  begin  at  once.  With 
the  help  of  God,  resolve  to  become  pure  again.  God 
can  cleanse  you  from  all  unrighteousness.  He  can 
enable  you  to  chase  from  your  mind  and  heart 
every  impure  thought  and  unclean  desire.  Tlirough 
his  grace  you  can  successfully  battle  with  tempta- 
tion and  redeem  the  black  record  of  the  past. 


OLD  AND  TOUNQ.  501 

Responsibility  of  Boys  and  Girls.  Co-edncation  of  the  Sexes. 


A Few  Words  to  Boys  and  Girls. 


Of  the  last  two  preceding  chapters  one  was  de- 
voted exclusively  to  advice  and  instruction  to  hoys, 
the  other  being  written  expressly  for  girls.  Now 
we  have  a few  words  in  conclusion  for  boys  and 
girls  together.  It  is  of  the  greatest  importance  that 
our  boys  and  girls  should  be  in  every  way  improved 
as  much  as  possible.  They  are  to  become  the  men 
and  women  of  the  next  generation,  when  their  fa- 
thers and  mothers  have  retired  from  active  life. 
Twenty  years  from  to-day  the  world  will  be  just* 
what  the  pi-esent  boys  and  girls  shall  make  it. 
Boys  who  are  chaste,  honest,  obedient,  and  indus- 
trious, will  become  useful  and  noble  men,  husbands, 
and  fathers.  Girls  who  are  pure,  innocent,  and  du- 
tiful, will  become  honored  and  lovely  women,  wives, 
and  mothers. 

Boys  and  girls  are  placed  in  families  together, 
and  thus  are  evidently  designed  by  nature  to  asso- 
ciate together,  to  obtain  their  education  and  prep- 
aration for  life  together.  When  secluded  wholly 
from  each  other’s  society,  both  suffer  a loss.  But 
while  this  is  true,  it  is  also  true  that  certain  evils 
may  and  often  do  grow  out  of  the  association  of 
the  two  sexes  of  young  people,  so  serious  in  char- 
acter that  many  wise  and  good  men  and  women 
have  felt  that  the  sexes  should  be  reared  and  edu- 


502 


PLAIN  FACTS  FOR 


Danger  of  Early  Intimacies.  Dangerous  AdTisers. 

cated  apart  as  much  as  possible.  These  evils  are 
the  result  of  too  intimate  and  improper  associations 
of  boys  and  girls.  Associations  of  this  sort  must  be 
most  sedulously  avoided.  Boys  and  girls  who  are 
in  school  together  must  he  extremely  careful  to 
avoid  too  close  associations.  On  all  occasions  a 
modest  reserve  should  he  maintained  in  the  deport- 
ment of  the  young  of  both  sexes  toward  each  other. 
Too  early  friendships  formed  often  lead  to  hasty 
marriages,  before  either  party  is  prepared  to  enter 
into  the  married  state,  and  before  the  judgment  has 
been  sufficiently  developed  to  make  either  capable 
of  selecting  a suitable  partner  for  life.  These  facts 
are  usually  learned  when  it  is  too  late  for  the  in- 
formation to  be  of  any  value. 

Parents  and  teachers  are  especially  responsible 
for  guarding  these  early  associations  and  giving 
timely  warning  when  needed-  The  youth  should 
always  be  ready  to  take  advice  on  this  subject,  for 
with  their  inexperience  they  cannot  know  their 
wants  so  well  as  do  their  elders.  Nothing  is  more 
disgusting  to  persons  of  sound  sense  than  youthful 
flirtations.  Those  misguided  persons  who  encour- 
age these  indiscretions  in  young  people  do  an  im- 
mense amount  of  injury  to  those  whom  they  ought 
to  be  prepared  to  benefit  by  wise  counsel.  We 
have  seen  promising  young  people  made  wretched 
for  life  through  the  influence  of  one  of  these  mis- 
chief-makers, being  most  unhappily  mated,  and  re- 
penting too  late  of  a hasty  marriage  for  which  they 
were  utterly  unprepared. 


OLD  AND  YOUNG. 


503 


“Small  Talk.”  Superficial  Minds. 

Young  persons  often  labor  under  the  erroneous 
impression  that  in  order  to  be  agreeable  they  must 
talk  " small  talk ; ” this  literally  means,  “ silly 
twaddle,”  which  disgusts  everybody,  and  yet  which 
all  seek  to  imitate.  Whenever  the  two  sexes  meet 
in  society  or  elsewhere,  as  at  all  other  times,  the 
conversation  should  be  turned  upon  subjects  of  real 
interest,  which  admit  of  the  exercise  of  sound  sense 
and  will  be  a means  of  culture.  Such  associations 
do  not  result  in  injury  to  any  one,  and  may  be  the 
means  of  much  profit ; but  nothing  is  more  execra- 
ble than  the  frivolous,  silly,  often  absolutely  sense- 
less observations  which  make  up  the  great  bulk  of 
the  conversation  of  young  people  in  fashionable 
society. 

The  most  ready  means  of  disclosing  the  superfi- 
cial character  of  the  minds  of  a large  share  of  the 
young  persons  who  move  in  fashionable  circles  is 
to  introduce  some  topic  requiring  depth  of  thought 
and  sound  judgment.  Such  a subject  will  usually 
produce  either  an  instant  lull  in  the  conversation 
or  a display  of  ignorance  which  cannot  fail  to  re- 
veal the  shallowness  of  the  speaker’s  intellect.  It  is 
this  superficial  class  of  minds  that  most  easily  fall 
victims  to  a sickly  sentimentalism,  which  readily 
leads  to  digressions  from  the  pathway  of  rigid 
virtue. 

A boy  who  has  the  elements  of  true  manliness  in 
him  will  carry  a gentlemanly  bearing  wherever  he 
goes.  In  all  his  deportment,  and  especially  in  his 


504 


PLAIN  FACTS. 


Tme  Gentility.  The  Best  Buie. 

conduct  toward  the  opposite  sex,  he  will  act  the 
gentleman  ; and  the  boy  whose  gentility  is  genuine 
will  manifest  the  same  kind  deference  toward  his 
mother  and  sisters  as  toward  other  ladies  and  girls. 
So  also  the  young  lady  who  is  a lady  at  heart,  will 
never  allow  herself  to  forget  the  rules  of  propriety, 
whether  she  is  in  the  company  of  her  father  and 
brothers,  or  that  of  other  gentlemen. 

All  the  rules  of  etiquette  are  woi’th  little  com- 
pared with  the  one  simple  rule  which  is  applicable 
to  both  sexes  and  all  ages, — “ Have  the  beaut  right 
and  then  act  natural.”  One  so  governed  will  not 
go  very  far  astray  under  any  circumstances ; hut  it 
is  of  the  greatest  importance  that  the  h^art  be  right. 
To  make  it  such  is,  indeed,  the  great  business  of  life. 

"Blessed  are  the  Pure  in  Heart.” 


INDEX 


Abortion,  271 

“ results  of, ... . 280 
Accidental  pregnancy, . . 236 
Adaptation  to  marriage,  127 

Advice  to  boys, 468 

Advice  to  girls, 499 

Advice  to  boys  and  girls,  501 

Afterbirth, 68 

Amativeness, 177 

Amaurosis, 369 

Amenorrhoea,  95 

Animalcula,  26 

Ante-natal  influences, . . 105 
Antediluvian  wicked- 
ness,   286 

Bad  language,  ..... 461 

Bad  company,  458 

Bad  books, 462 

“ “ influence  of,  463 

“ “ eflects  of,  . . 486 

Balls,  demoralizing^ efliect 

“"of,  7 . 77 .7777.' . .".777204 

Beauty,  how  to  develop,  473 
Beer-drinking  by  nurs- 
ing mothers, 71 

Beer,  evil  effects  of, ... . 467 
Betrothal  of  infants, ....  138 
Birth,  changes  at,  ... . 69 

Bladder,  irritation  of.  . . 203 


PAGE. 

Boarding-schools,  danger 

of,  495 

Books,  bad,  186 

“ obscene,  187 

Brain,  male  and  female,  42 

Breasts, 70 

“ atrophy  of  the, . . 374 
Breath,  causes  of  foul, . . 89 

“ Bundling,” 140 

Cancer,  cause  of, 253 

“ of  the  womb,  . . 374 

Castration,  114 

Catamenia,  81 

Causes  of  unchastity,  . . 181 
Cells,  development  of, . . 104 

Chastity,  174 

Chlorosis,  95,  343 

Cider,  evil  effects  of,  . . 467 
Circumcision,  ....  113,  410 
Civilization,  perverting 

influence  of,  181 

Classification  of  living 

creatures,  

Clitoris,  57,  73 

Coitus,  57 

Colds,  how  to  prevent,  84 

Colostrum, 70 

Conception,  prevention 
of,  250 


.505 


o06  INDEX, 


Condimenta, 210,  292 

Conjugal  onanism,  250 

Constipation, 202 

Consumption,  365 

“ cause  of, 

230,  435 

Continence,  205 

“ male,  256 

“ not  injurious,  205 

“ difficulty  of,  208 

“ helps  to, 209 

Conversation,  trilling,  . . 503 

Copulation,  57 

Courtship, 136 

“ evils  of,  ....  137 

Courtships,  long, 140 

Crime,  source  of, 107 

“ cause  of, 454 

Criminality  hereditary,  107 
Critical  period,  a, 482 

Dancing,  196 

Day-dreams, 177 

Desirable  qualities,  how 

to  produce,  113 

Development, 59,  477 

“ premature,  78 
Development  in  higher 

animals, 61 

Diet,  390 

“ influence  on  chastity,  182 

Disease, 301 

“ obscure  causes  of,  376 

Diurnal  emissions, 359 

Divorce,  loose  laws  of,  . . 153 
Dozing,  danger  of,  ....  212 
Dreams, 396 


Dreams,  how  to  control,  397 
Dress  and  sensuality,  . . 190 
Dressing  unhealthfuUy,  89 

Dress  reform,  193 

Drinks,  stimulating, ....  392 

Drugs,  . . 411 

Dwarfs,  431 

Dysmenorrhoea,  94 

Dyspepsia, 366 

“ cause  of, ... . 434 

Early  associations,  314 

“ marriage, 126 

“ training, 310 

“ “ lack  of, ..  295 

“ decline,  cause  of,  481 
Egypt  a hot-bed  of  vice,  286 

Electricity,  407 

Embryo, 63 

“ simple  structure 

of,  64 

Embryo,  stages  of  growth 

of,  65 

Emissions,  effect  of, ... . 356 

“ internal, 361 

“ nocturnal,  . . 353 
Endurance  of  women,  . . 43 

Epilepsy,  344 

“ cause  of,  244 

Evil  habits,  427 

Excesses,  marital,  — . 216 
“ results  of, ... . 225 
“ effects  of  on 

wives, 231 

Excesses,  effects  of  on 
husbands,  226 


INDiJX.  5Q7 


Extra-uterinepregnancy,  97 
Eyes,  weakness  of,  ....  369 

Fallopian  tube, 74 

False  delicacy, 92 

“ training,  473 

Fashion, 294 

“ and  vice,  ....  192 
Fashionable  dissipation,  478 

Fecundation, 52 

“ in  flowers,  53 

“ modes  of,  55 

“ in  fishes, . . 56 

“ in  reptiles,  56 

“ in  higher 

animals, 56 

Fecundation  in  hermaph- 
rodites,   59 

Feeling  apparatus,  ....  425 
Females,  imperfect,  ....  58 

Female  organs, 73 

“ organs  of  flowers,  48 
Fetus,  respiration  of,  . . 67 

“ influenced  through 

the  blood, 67 

Fishes,  development  in,  60 
“ fecundation  in,  56 

Filthy  dreams, 179 

“ talkers,  180 

Flirtation,  evils  of,  143 

“ youthful,  . . 144 

“ childish,  ....  487 

Flowers,  polygamous,  . . 47 

“ female  organs 

of,  48 

Flowers,  fecundation  in,  53 


PAGE. 


Fomentations,  405 

Foods,  stimulating, 392 

Force,  life,  29 

Fmrctions  of  life 30 

General  debility, 365 

Generation,  laws  of, ... . 219 

“ physiological,  112 

“ spontaneous,  31 

“ ancient  the- 
ory of, 32 

Gestation,  dmation  of,  66 

Girlhood,  471 

Girls,  a chapter  for, ....  470 

“ causes  which  lead 

astray, 484 

Girls,  how  ruined, 493 

Gluttony,  292 

Habit,  power  of,  496 

Health  essential  to  beau- 
ty,   474 

Health  hints,  88,  93 

Heart  disease,  367 

Heredity,  102 

“ laws  of, 243 

“ of  disease, ....  109 

“ of  crime,  ....  107 

Hermaphrodism,  36 

Hermaphrodites,  fecun- 
dation in,  59 

Hip  bath,  93 

Human  machine,  the  . . 423 

Human  wrecks, 437 

Human  form,  474 

Human  buds,  476 

Husbands,  improvident,  170 


508  INDEX. 


PAGE. 

Hybrids,  

100 

Hymen, 

73 

Hysteria, 

...95,  343 

“ causes  of. 

, . .96,  375 

Idiocy,  

371 

“ cause  of , . . 

433 

Idleness, 

189 

Ignorance, 

300 

lU-health  of  girls, 

causes 

of,  

472 

Illustrative  cases,  , 

437 

Imbecility, 

371 

Impotence, 

..363,  410 

“ not  prciuced 

by  continence,  , 

207 

Infanticide,  

271 

“ among  various 

nations,  273 

Infant  intoxication,  ....  70 

Infants,  betrothal  of,  . . 138 

Insanity,  370 

“ cause  of,  ..447,  490 
Instinct,  lessons  from, . . 220 
‘ ‘ a safe  guide, . . 224 


Internal  emissions,  ....  361 
Intestinal  worms, 202 

.luke  family,  the, 108 

Labia,  the, 73 

Labor, 68 

Lacing,  90 

Law  of  heredity  applied,  126 

“ of  sex,  101 

Legahzed  murder,  ....  233 
“ vice, 309 


Leucorrhoea, 346 

Libidinous  blood, 290 

Licentious  worship,  ....  287 

Licentiousness,  results 

of,  302 

Life,  25 

“ beginning  of,  ....  52 

“ force, 29 

“ origin  of,  33 

“ modem  modes  of,  203 
“ when  it  begins, ....  262 

“ uterine, 66 

Literature,  poisonous, . . 189 

Living  beings,  25 

Love,  perverted,  178 

Lust,  effect  upon  child.  111 

Male  organs, 71 

“ continence,  256 

Mammary  glands, 70 

Marriage,  124,  402 

“ evils  of  Ul- 

“ mated,  131 

‘ effect  of  late,  132 

“ experimental,  141 

‘ ‘ forbidden, ....  156 

“ of  cousins, ... . 163 

“ of  criminals, . . 164 

“ of  paupers,  . . 167 

“ but  not  love,  235 

“ customs  of  dif- 
ferent nations,  125 

Marital  excesses,  216 

“ rights,  234 

Masturbation,  ....  315,  428 
‘ ‘ treatment 

of,  373 


r 

INDEX. 

509 

PAGE. 

PAGE. 

Masturbation,  proven- 

Nocturnal  emissions,  . . 

353 

tion  of,  

378 

Novel-reading, 

486 

Masturbation,  effects  in 

Nursing, 

70 

females, 

373 

Nutrition, 

30 

Masturbation,  effects  on 

Nutritive  apparatus, .... 

425 

offspring,  

376 

Nymphas,  the,  

73 

Masturbation,  self-helps 

Nymphomania, 

301 

to  cure,  

385 

1 

Menopause,  the, 

82 

Objects  of  life, 

423 

1 

Menorrhagia,  

91 

Obscene  books, 

187 

1 

Menses, 

81 

Obscenity, 

462 

1 

Menstrual  period,  dura- 

Oneida  community,  the. 

258 

tion  of, 

82 

Organized  beings, 

28 

Menstruation,  

81 

Organization, 

28 

“ nature  of, 

83 

Ovai-y,  

51 

Mental  unchastity,  

174 

Ovum,  

51 

“ culture, 

313 

“ discharge  of,  .... 

83 

Millc,  influence  of  upon 

“ size  of, 

52 

children, 

70 

“ expulsion  of  from 

Mind,  cause  of  unbal- 

ovary, 

74 

anced, 

129 

Ovum,  union  of  the,  with 

Moderation, 

248 

the  zoosperm,  

57 

Monsters,  

99 

Pangenesis,  doctrine  of, 

103 

Mock  piety,  

338 

Paralysis,  

369 

Moderation,  

248 

Parturition,  

68 

Modesty,  

488 

“ painless,  . . 

68 

Mothers,  a warning  to. 

201 

Passion,  inherited,  .... 

121 

“ their  work,  . . 

479 

Passions,  how  excited, . . 

183 

IVTnra.l  mrjtflcrinn,  

459 

Pedestrianism, 

40 

Moving  apparatus,  

425 

Pernicious  books,  infiu- 

Multiple  births,  

98 

ence  of,  

297 

Penis,  the,  56, 

71 

Navel,  the, 

68 

Physical  differences  in 

Nervous  diseases, 

368 

SftXj 

39 

“ debility,  treat- 

Piles,  

350 

ment  of, 

378 

Pimples, 

342 

510 


INDEX. 


PAGB. 

Placenta,  67 

Plants,  sex  of,  37 

Pictures,  vile 464 

Poisonous  literature,  . . 189 

Polyandry, 152 

Polygamous  flowers, ....  47 

Polygamy, 146 

“ defense  of,  . . 148 

“ exposed,  ....  149 

“ of  great  men,  152 

Precocity,  77 

Precocity,  sexual 117 

“ indication#  of,  119 

Pregnancy, 62 

“ duration  of, . 66 

“ extra  uterine,  97 

“ indulgence 

during,  241 

Premature  development,  78 

“ decay, 419 

Prevention  of  concep- 
tion,   260 

Priapism, 350 

Prostate  gland,  72 

“ “ enlarge- 
ment of  the, 349 

Prostitution, 400 

“ in  Greece,  . 287 

Pruritis, 374 

Puberty,  74 

“ premature,  . . 76 

“ influence  of 

diet  on,  76 

Puberty,  chajiges  at,  ...  79 

“ influence  of  cli- 
mate on, 76 


PAGB. 

Pudenda,  the,  73 

Purifying  apparatus,  . . . 426 

Quacks,  362,  412 

Race  degeneration,  cause 

of,  436 

Religion,  help  of,  213 

Religious  novels, 297 

“ insanity,  371 

Reproduction, . .31,  424,  476 
‘ ‘ elements  of,  45 
“ in  polyps, ..  58 

“ anatomy  of,  71 
“ curious 

modes  of, 57 

Reproduction  in  the 

honey  bee,  58 

Reproduction  in  lower 

animals, 218 

Reproductive  organs,  . . 71 

“ functions,.  217 
“ apparatus,.  426 
" elements,  . 

union  of, 57 

Reptiles,  fecundation  in,  56 
“ development  in,  60 
Respiration  in  woman,..  44 
“ of  the  fetus,  67 
Results  of  abortion, ....  280 
Roman  emperors,  licen- 
tiousness of,  288 

Satyriasis, 124 

Scrotum,  the, 71 

Secret  vice,  428 

“ “ evidences  of,  481 


INDEX. 

51  1 

PAGE. 

p.Antr. 

Secret  Vice,  prevalence 

Sexual  relations,  the,  . . 

1L6 

of,  ' 480 

‘ ‘ precocity, 

117 

Secret  Vice,  terrible  ef- 

“ “ causes 

fects  of, 480 

of,  

Self-abuse, 315,  428 

Sexual  activity,  the 

“ causes  of,  321,  487 

limit  of, 

124 

“ effects  of,  ...  437 

Shaker  views,  

258 

“ the  signs  of,; . 331 

Sitz-baths, 

404 

“ results  of,  . . 347 

Sleeping,  

393 

“ treatment  of,  378 

Social  lepers, 

146 

“ not  a modem 

“ evil,  the, 

284 

vice,  319 

“ “ causes  of  the. 

290 

Self-abuse,  physical 

“ “ cure  of  the,  . 

308  , 

causes  of, 329 

Solitary  vice,  

315 

Self-abuse,  how  to  cure 

“ “ alarming 

the  habit  of, 382 

prevalence  of, 

316 

Self-control, 311 

Solitary  vice,  unsus- 

Self-pollution, 428 

pected  cause  of,  .... 

318 

Self-murder, 431 

Spaying 

115 

Seminal  fluid,  the,  . . 51,  72 

Spermatozoa,  

48 

Senility,  420 

“ size  of,  . . 

50 

Senile  children, 134 

Spermatorrhoea, 

353 

“ sexuality, 123 

Spinal  irritation,  

369 

Sentimental  books, 485 

Sterility,  

374 

“ young  worn- 

Stimulants  the  cause  of 

en, 190 

self-abuse, 

330 

Sentimental  literature. 

Stricture, 

348 

influence  of, 296 

Suicide,  cause  of, 

453 

Sex, 35 

“ in  plants, 37 

“Tarrying,” 

140 

“ in  animals, 38 

Tea  and  cofiee, 

292 

“ law  of,  101 

“ “ “ bad  ef- 

“ of  fetus,  102 

fects  of, 

467 

Sexual  differences,  ....  38 

Testicles,  position  of,  . . 

48 

“ organs  of  plants,  46 

“ wasting  of,  . . 

352 

“ “ of  animals,  48 

Temperaments,  

166 

i 

512 

INDEX. 

PAGE. 

PAGE. 

Thinking  apparatus,  . . . 

425 

Vagina,  the, 56, 

74 

Thoughts,  evil, 

465 

Varicocele, 

352 

Tliroat  disease,  cause  of, 

229 

Vegetable  husbands,  . . 

47 

Time  to  marry, 

125 

Vice  legalized,  

309 

Tobacco, 

292 

Vicious  companions,  . . 

484 

“ evil  effects  of, . . 

467 

Vital  force,  definition  of. 

29 

“ grave  charges 

“ organs  of  man  and 

j 



185 

woman,  

43 

1 

Twins,  

98 

Vision,  dimness  of, 

369 

Vulva,  the,  

73 

Umbilical  cord, 

67 

Unchaste  conversation,  . 

179 

Waltz,  the,  its  scnsu- 

Unchastity,  causes  of,  . . 

181 

ality,  

199 

“ of  the  an- 

Weak  backs, 

339 

cients,  

274 

Wine,  evil  effects.of,  . . 

467 

Unchastity,  physical 

Wives  on  trial, 

139 

causes  of,  

201 

“ sale  of,  among  the 

Unconsidered  murders, . 

260 

Russians,  

138 

Uterus,  

61 

Woman,  servitude  of,  . . 

263 

Uterine  life,  

66 

“ her  responsibil- 

93 

ifv 

270 

“ disease, 233, 

373 

Woman’s  rights,  

264 

“ gestation, 

62 

Women,  Indian,  

86 

Urinary  diseases, 

349 

“ Hebrew, 

87 

Urethra,  the, 

72 

Womb,  cancer  of  the,  . . 

374 

I 

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I 

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